GRIZZLY BEAR

When Grizzly Bear released their debut, Horn of Plenty , in 2004, it would have been difficult to predict that they’d still be making records 13 years later. Essentially a solo album by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ed Droste, with drummer Chris Bear adding percussion and backing vocals, there was little indication that their future work would be defined by collaboration and the contributions of four unique creative personas. With Painted Ruins , their first new full-length release in five years, the band has opened up their songwriting process even, elevating bassist and producer Chris Taylor joining Droste and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Rossen as a third voice in the mix, while also using Bear’s drum loops as the foundation for several tracks. The resulting release—arguably the most eclectic and accessible in their catalog—proves that having too many cooks in the kitchen can still result in a glorious meal. Here, in our separate interviews with the four members (combined into one Q&A) they discuss the struggle to execute the collective vision of four artists, how the band has evolved from their humble origins, and their ongoing inability to define exactly what they do. [Note: These are extra portions of our interview with Grizzly Bear, quotes that didn’t make it into our main print article on the band.]

Matt Fink ( Under the Radar ): Nearly five years have passed since the last new Grizzly Bear album. Was there a reason the band decided to take a hiatus?

Ed Droste: The break wasn’t necessarily a result of any internal band issues; it was more like the literal moment when people get married/divorced/have children/all that stuff. It’s just like a lot of things happened, so it was like, “Okay, we have to address this corner of our lives before we get back into the writing process.” But it was totally Chris Taylor who started this puppy, like “Let’s do this!” I credit him with getting me up and back into my band self. He was incredible that way. He was quite a motivating force for the whole process, but especially in the early stages when people were like, “I don’t know what we’re doing. What are you up to?”

I think we were all tired after touring, and we toured . Everyone had things going on in their lives, and I think we all needed a little space to be with ourselves and in our lives, and by the time we came back, we were ready to work on music and not be