I have no idea where these guys came from (Asheville, NC) or why no one has been written anything about them before (shame on y’all), but my ears and eager appetite for promising new music could care less about any of that. All that matters is Kovacs and the Polar Bear made their way into my headphones last week and left a lasting impression. Their track “Dandelion” is a true gem, with enough melody to cleanse your palette like a mouthful of ginger before shoving in a succulent slice of sonic sashimi. That’s an analogy for this band I’ll take to the bank, you don’t need a gastro-scientist or trendy restauranteur with a flair for copy to explain each nuance and coy bit of complexity swirling in your mouth, because it’s unnecessary. Verbiage, much like the last few sentences here, appeal to the imagination and other senses not needed to assist your taste-buds or (in this case) eardrums in understanding what they’re consuming. Not when it’s this easy and this good.
Ingredients: echoing keys, raunchy riffs, driving percussion, and deliciousness. Vibes akin to The Walkmen struck me at first but Kovacs are far more accessible and better than Hamilton Leithauser’s band. There’s a lot of potential here, with a memorable/shaky set of vocals and hints of Americana charm that can appeal to ears in Brooklyn as easily as those in Savannah. There’s more music to dive into right here and something tells me more than just my southern brethren in Asheville will be the only ones who know about this band for long.
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