The Bunny The Bear

Few band names really hit the conceptual nail on the head like the Bunny the Bear, a synth-heavy electronicore band from Buffalo, New York fronted by two guys wearing bunny and bear masks. Formed in 2008 by vocalists Matthew "The Bunny" Tybor and Chris "The Bear" Hutka, who handle screamed and clean vocals, respectively, the band has revolved around the duo as its core members, backed by a touring group made up of guitarists Alex Matos and Nate Blasdell, bassist John Halstead, and drummer Tommy Vinton. The main duo, along with a revolving cast of co-conspirators, have cultivated a sound as odd as their stage presence, mixing the punishing chug of metalcore with EDM synths, and alternating soaring/screamed vocals. In 2010, the Bunny the Bear made their full-length debut with a self-released eponymous album. Shortly afterwards, the pair signed on with Victory Records, where they released their sophomore effort, If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say..., in 2011, which was followed quickly by a third album, The Stomach for It, the following year. A fourth album, Stories, appeared in 2013. As prolific as they are inscrutable, the band returned in 2014, where they delivered a fifth album, Food Chain, on Victory Records. 2015's A Liar Wrote This was Chris "The Bear" Hutka's last album with the group. Hutka had left the band more than once for brief periods, and he insisted that this was his final departure from the Bunny the Bear, owing to creative differences with his bandmates, family commitments, and a desire to launch a solo career. It was also the Bunny the Bear's last album for Victory Records; the band signed a new record deal with the Needful Things label, and with new vocalist Joseph "The Bear 3.0" Garcia on board, they released The Way We Rust. ~ Gregory Heaney