Bitter, Bitter Weeks

Noted indie producer and engineer Brian McTear (Matt Pond PA, Mazarin, Espers, Danielson) returns with his third album as Bitter Bitter Weeks. Peace is burning like a river is a rock record. While past albums were dark and minimal, this is vast, honest, assured and, dare we say, “triumphant”. It taps into McTear’s work with Mazarin, as well as subtle Eno-esque beds of organ and tape echo, and the American jangle of the 1980s college underground music (his older brother loved so dearly).

With Peace is burning ..., Bitter bitter weeks has arrived at a new era, presenting an extraordinary album of fully orchestrated memorable songs with featured guest performances by members of Mazarin, Apollo Sunshine, The A-sides, BC Camplight, The Velvet Crush and more. There are songs about life and death, midair daydreams, cold war apocalyptic fantasy, ghost dreams, hyper- awareness in the last seconds of life, friendship gone sour, apologies to future generations, and much more...

Brian McTear started Bitter bitter weeks some time around 2002. Though he ultimately aspired for it to be a band, he released two full length albums more or less as solo efforts in 2003 and 2004. The third album, Peace is burning like a river, finally sees that band vision come to life.

As a record producer and recording engineer McTear has worked with many great bands over the last ten years (Matt Pond PA, Mazarin, Espers, BC Camplight, Danielson, The A-sides, Hail Social, Spinto Band....). At 34 years old, he and long time partner Amy Morrissey make their living at their studio, Miner Street Recordings in Fishtown, Philadelphia.

McTear began in the early 1990s with a band called Mariner Nine. That lasted for nearly eight years, taking him from late high school, into and beyond his college years. When they split up he focused on producing records, finding the likes of Matt Pond PA and Mazarin. It was a welcome change up, spending more time in the studio than in smoky clubs (McTear lives with Cystic Fibrosis, a respiratory condition, which is not always conducive to the details of being in a band). All the while, he never stopped writing songs.

His aspirations to sing and perform reignited sometime in 2002. It also became apparent that he was more than just any old frontman in an indy rock band; he was great singer, a unique songwriter, and with the release of the first Self Titled album, Bitter bitter weeks, in 2003 (My Pal God Records), fans and critics agreed that his oft’ understated songwriting finally found a worthy partner in this stalwart, yet subconsciously trembled voice.