Premiere: Boy & Bear's Tim Hart makes a solo return with new single, Great Escape

Long-time Australian indie-pop favourites Boy & Bear are well beyond the need for an introduction, and same goes for their drummer Tim Hart, who joined the band shortly after its initial inception. What some may not be aware of, however, is that Tim also has a solo project for himself, dating back to his 2012 debut album Milling The Wind - a collection of tracks that allowed him to celebrate his own creative freedom, without the pressures of working with a full band.

In 2018, he rebooted the project for The Narrow Corner, a collection of 13 tracks written while touring and recording alongside the full band that building upon the stripped-back folk of his debut album in favour for something that swells with a richer palette of indie, rock and pop; striking guitar work mixing amongst his warm, comforting vocal. Now, two years later - amongst perhaps the longest moment of down-time for Boy & Bear, even if it is forced - he's emerging from a period of reflection with something to show for it, in the form of a new single titled Great Escape.

Aptly-titled for everything going on in the world right now, Great Escape offers four-minutes of cathartic escapism with its gentle, indie-folk melodies and acute songwriting; Tim Hart continuing to explore the multi-faceted depths of this indie/folk/pop-esque crossroads through dancing guitar work and relatively stripped-back percussion, which each underlay his notoriously soothing vocal. There's something really special about it and the warmth the song brings, built from reflection within Tim's own life that anyone can dig into for familiarity and comfort in your own circumstances - even if they're long-beyond Tim's reflections.

As he explains, there's a lot that goes into the track. It's been a turbulent few years for the musician, both with the greater changes within the world and those more personal and intimate, such as relocating north to regional Queensland to start a family, beginning with the birth of his first child recently. Great Escape sees a matured Tim - built from all of these changes - reflect on his past. "I wrote Great Escape after doing a lot of thinking about an old relationship and mulling over all the questions you have that go unanswered," he explains. "It's about letting go of the past and any bitterness, and wishing good things for someone you were really close to."

The single feels like a natural evolution for Tim Hart as he eyes the release of his third solo album Winning Hand, which with its eventual release - we'll have more information on that soon, no doubt - will better reflect changing surroundings for Tim and those he surrounds himself with, from close family and friends to those he meets on the road. "With so much uncertainty and weirdness and change this year, it's been really nice re-connecting with people," he elaborates. "Now more than ever I want to be able to connect with people. Share stories and songs. I think that’s what we all need in a year that has been so unpredictable and tough."

Great Escape is a brilliant start to that, providing a soft-sung four-minutes of escapism that couldn't come with any better timing, and you can take a dive into it below as it premieres on Pilerats ahead of its greater release this Friday, November 6th:

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