Sometimes we dig into the vaults here at Start-Track headquarters. Although I’d like that to mean us wearing headlamps and taking an elevator ninety feet deep into the Earth’s crust to our secret lair full of old records, it just means that sometimes bands send us their albums from a few years ago.
For instance, Philly’s Best Bear sent us their 2022 album When, and we decided to bump it back in front of your eardrums. This isn’t just because we like the music; it’s mostly because the band’s got lots coming up in the year ahead. For one, the post-emo group just signed to HHBTM Records, an indie label based out of Athens, Georgia (the legendary home of bands like R.E.M., Drive-By Truckers, Pylon, and The B-52s). They’re also working on their second full-length album, and on top of that, they’re out touring the Northeast this spring. (Dates below.)
They’ve also decided to breathe new life into tracks from When, especially by way of a music video for the lead-off song “Bare Minimum”. It’s the second video produced for a song from the album: The video for “Gaslighter”, the album’s third track, came out two years ago. But if returning to the material from When was an attempt to drum up excitement for new music from Best Bear down the road, it was a rousing success.
So what about When, then? Well, the fourteen tracks on the album still hold up as prime slow-burn emo, mostly from the mind of Blue Barnett, but also from their fellow founding members Gwen McFadden and Charles D’Ardenne. They show off the band’s range, from the grungy “Bare Minimum” to the blitzing “Gaslighter”, to tender tracks like “Apathy” and “Through the Static”, to instrumental interludes such as “By the Window”, “A New Beginning”, and “If Not Now”.
The title track stems from “If Not Now”, forming a play on the phrase “If not now, when?” It’s a common phrase among activists, charitable non-profits, and community organizers, as it highlights the urgency of immediate action. But on the title track of When, Barnett uses the phrase in association with more menial experiences (“Looking over bank statements lately / If it’s not now, if it’s not now, when / Our friends are having kids, getting married / If it’s not now, if it’s not now, when”). Their use of the phrase hints at a certain anxiety of time passing by and watching friends accomplish their own life goals. However, later in the track, they address the success they’ve found with Best Bear: “Walking through the door like we’re famous… It’s what we’re living for, who can blame us.”
The music sounds as fresh now as it did four years ago when it was first released, acting as a fine reintroduction to the band. It’s not as if the album didn’t make waves back in 2022; “Gaslighter” received and still continues to get consistent airplay on regional and college radio, and the album as a whole got praise from local Philly station WXPN. In the years between When and now, the band has performed throughout the Northeast and Midwest, with a standout performance on the main stage at 2025’s Philly Pride 365. Indeed, the LGBTQIA+ community has propped up Best Bear throughout their existence, and the band has returned that love right back.
So on the cusp of a new chapter for the band, it feels right for Best Bear to get When back out there to remind listeners of their talent and sound, to reconnect with their community and fan base, and to celebrate the music that put them on the map. It’s certain that Album #2 will feature Barnett and Co.’s incredible songwriting and musicianship, but it’s nice to listen back to where it all began.
Below, watch the music video for “Bare Minimum”, follow Best Bear on their social platforms, and check out the tour dates to see where and when the band will play next.
TOUR DATES:
5/13 – Newark, Delaware (Rainbow Records)
5/14 – Boonton, New Jersey (Hidden Tracks Records)
5/16 – Montreal, Quebec (Théâtre Sainte-Catherine, part of Pouzza Fest 2026)
5/22 – Reading, PA (Sunset Groove)
5/23 – Philadelphia, PA (Spellbound Studio, all ages)
Written by Will Sisskind
