Long Beard—the musical persona of New Jersey singer/songwriter Leslie Bear—has returned with her first new music since her 2019 sophomore LP Means To Me. “Posters,” done in collaboration with Crying and BUMPER’s Ryan Galloway, is a subtle disco track with anthemic percussion and dreamy guitar tones. It’s a poised return from Bear, who meditates on change through self-reflection. “Never hung up your posters / That you left in your old room / Maybe I’ll try to find you / In that world you fought so hard for,” she sings.
“‘Posters’ is a song about needing to confront and accept change. Realizing that things you once took for granted aren’t there for you anymore,” Bear explains. “It’s difficult, but you do your best to let go of the past and move forward. While writing the song, I tried to capture that bittersweet feeling of having outgrown a childhood bedroom- losing connections to interests and items that once inspired you and kept you safe. The idea came about soon after I had to move to a new apartment (the 3rd over 2 years during the pandemic), and after having moved so many times, I didn’t have the energy to hang up any of my usual decorations to feel more at home.
“I made the song with Ryan Galloway, who has been a long time friend and one of my favorite musicians/producers. I sent him the bare bones of the song, which was just vocals and guitar, and then he added drums, synths, and bass. He basically made the song a lot more fun and bouncy. After that, it took me forever to mix, which was a fun and challenging learning experience for me. This was the first time I feel like I really focused on a song from a production standpoint and wanted to step away from my comfort zone by making something that’s structurally and sonically more pop oriented.”
Watch the music video for “Posters” below.
“Posters” Artwork:
