Message To Bears SHARES ‘River Calls’ Single

ANNOUNCES Tired Eyes, Waking Hearts album

RELEASE DATE: 20 June 2025

ALBUM RELEASE DATE: 18 July 2025

LABEL: Lost Birds Records

 

“A semblance of luminous piano chords and harmonised vocal flourishes, the track gradually builds into a momentous crescendo, marking some of the artist’s most profound work to date.”

CLASH Magazine

“’Half Light’ blends orchestral and ambient elements, capturing moments of vulnerability and hope in a stunning sonic journey.”

NOTION Magazine

[On ‘I’ll Lead You There’]: “It has a cinematic feel in its ebb and flow of energy, and the multilevel balance of minimal lyrics versus densely textured sounds, and digital versus live instrumentation makes for a multi-faceted, ever-engaging trip.”

Stereogum

“Sparkling acoustic guitars weave around heart-stopping cellos and haunting ambient effects to give the audio equivalent of dew-drops on grass turning into jewels at sunrise. Simply stunning.” 

Mixmag

“Serenity, my friend. Serenity.”

Teen Vogue

 

London-born, Bristol-based composer and producer Message To Bears is gearing up to unveil another captivating composition titled ‘River Calls’, out on June 20th, 2025 via Lost Birds Records. ‘River Calls’, accompanied by a stunning animated visualiser, is the last single to be released ahead of his forthcoming album, Tired Eyes, Waking Hearts, slated for release on July 18th. Message To Bears is the musical alias of English composer and multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander, renowned for crafting emotive, cinematic soundscapes that blend ambient, folk, post-rock, and electronic influences. With over 200 million streams across platforms, Message To Bears has supported Nils Frahm at Oxford’s historic Holywell Music Room and Olafur Arnalds at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, performed at Green Man Festival ahead of legends like Mumford and Sons, Flaming Lips, Beirut, The Tallest Man on Earth and Efterklang.

 

Message To Bears has received national airplay from prominent BBC Radio 6 presenters including Guy Garvey, Tom Robinson, and Nitin Sawhney, as well as BBC Radio 3’s Afrodeutsche, Radio X’s John Kennedy, RTÉ 2FM in Ireland and NPR in the US. He has also gained further local and international support from stations such as BBC Gloucestershire, BBC Wiltshire, BBC Somerset, BBC Radio Bristol, and KEXP (Seattle, US). His music has been featured in a range of publications, including Vulture, Stereogum, Teen Vogue, CLASH Magazine, NOTION, Music Radar, The Line of Best Fit, and Mixmag, among others.

 

Since his 2007 debut EP1, which sold out instantly, Message To Bears has released several acclaimed albums, including Departures (2009), Folding Leaves (2012), Maps, Carved From Tides, and Constants.

Known for his lush arrangements and atmospheric style, his music has been featured across film, television, advertising, and video games worldwide. Notably, his work appeared in the iconic game Life is Strange alongside artists such as Mogwai, Local Natives, Foals, José González, and Alt-J. His compositions have also been included in popular Netflix series like Virgin River and Warrior Nun.

 

Influenced by a range of artists from Explosions In the Sky to Bon Iver to Ry X to José González, Message To Bears crafts a beautiful blend of Folktronica and Modern Classical music. ‘River Calls’ is a breathtaking blend of ambient folk and orchestral music sure to ensnare fans of Sufjan Stevens, Novo Amor, and Bon Iver.

 

‘River Calls’ opens with a delicately picked guitar, which quietly makes room for a reverberant choral motif that feels almost indiscernible, like a haunting echo over a misty mountain. Solemn strings suspend and glide as momentum gently picks up with soft shakers, a slow four-on-the-floor, and ambient textures that are punctuated by pads that twinkle like kaleidoscopic lights. The song intricately accumulates and sheds elements, ebbing and flowing to a primal yet peaceful ending.

 

Speaking on the track, Message To Bears told us: “Influenced by the primal pull of nature, building, swelling and finally offering release and quiet comfort in uncertain times.”

 

Follow Message To Bears:

Private Listen: Message To Bears  – ‘River Calls’ (embargoed until June 20th)

WATCH: Message To Bears – ‘River Calls’ (PRIVATE)

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