A Chat with mischa and the bear (12.06.26)
Dark, driven, innovative and eclectic, alternative-pop mischa and the bear find the sweet spot where glitchy and ethereal textures meet high-impact energy. Hailing from Dublin, producer Mischa and vocalist Bear are turning heads far beyond their Irish borders with songs that are, as described by Nialler9, “very fucking great”. We speak with the pair about their new single, ‘Bleach’, music videos, live gigs and much more.
OSR: Cliché, but how did mischa and the bear come about? What prompted the project and drew you to music?
mischa and the bear: The project came together naturally (and the name came from our middle names, Mischa and Berneen, whilst living together. Mischa was working as a producer on songs for other artists, and Bear would jump in and help from time to time. At one point Bear suggested writing a song together, so we wrote a few demos that didn’t go anywhere for a while, but after discovering we worked well together and had created something pretty unique, we eventually made the jump and started this band together.
OSR: You recently released your single ‘Bleach’. What can you tell us about it? Is there a backstory or theme, and what inspired you to create ‘Bleach’?
mischa and the bear: ‘Bleach’ is quite an angry song – a reaction to observing and encountering selfish and greedy personality types in your life. We actually made a video about making it, which you can watch here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZdNCJENFsT/
OSR: You also released a music video for ‘Bleach’. How do you think the video represents the message behind the single? Also, why did you choose to release a music video?
mischa and the bear: The video is intended to portray the character in ‘Bleach’, and we wanted to create a gritty industrial visual backdrop for the song. We edited in black and white, partially inspired by the film La Haine, and also to enhance the themes of the song being quite ‘black and white’, or rigid.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music and the single, and what does ‘Bleach’ mean to you?
mischa and the bear: We don’t have much of an expectation for what people will take from it – it’s not really up to us. We hope that people enjoy it, and find something in it to relate to their own lives and experiences. We also want to bring listeners into a different world. ‘Bleach’ was kind of a chance to do something different and to take a particular stance on something that might be on a lot of people’s minds right now.
OSR: You have only recently started performing live. What was your first gig at The Grand Social like? Did you have any expectations, and if so, were they met? How did you feel and what did you take from the experience?
mischa and the bear: Our first show was a huge relief. We were so happy to finally bring our music to a live setting, and getting to realise that for the first time and have it go so well was really great. The lights, the sound, the crowd – just everything went above and beyond our expectations and gives us the confidence to go forth and play more shows!
OSR: I read that you are about to release an EP in August. What can you tell us about it?
mischa and the bear: Our second EP will be released in August. It’s a little bit darker, a little bit punchier, and a lot of fun. We’re really excited to share it with our listeners.
OSR: If you had to introduce your music to a new listener, which song would you recommend?
mischa and the bear: Probably ‘Deny’ as it was our first single and one that fans keep coming back to! After that, our upcoming single ‘I Don’t Care’ (out June 26th) would be a good reference point for our sound overall, especially as it was actually written around the same time as ‘Deny’.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
mischa and the bear: It’s everything. It’s in our lives every day, it’s a career path, it’s an experience, it’s our motivation in life, a form of release, a way to create and become inspired, it provides community, it’s fulfilling – we could go on forever about this!
OSR: If you had to describe your music in one sentence, what would that be?
mischa and the bear: Dark, punchy, and sometimes ethereal, our music sits somewhere between alternative dance-pop and synth-pop, and there’s something in it for everyone. You walk into a nightclub in a dystopian universe, and this might be what you hear.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
mischa and the bear: Keep on trucking.
Many thanks to mischa and the bear for speaking with us. Find out more about mischa and the bear on their official website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Steaming Kettle PR.
