8/10

Throughout the last few years, Bear's Den have been on an incredibly prolific run. After returning early last year to deliver their highly-praised fifth studio album 'Blue Hours', they quickly followed that up with a soundtrack of original music for the Apple TV+ series Trying, collaborating with the likes of Maisie Peters and Jade Bird in the process. Now with the dust barely settled, they are back once again to offer up their latest EP 'First Loves', a release that looks to add a seldom heard edge to the traditional romance record.

While the duo have always been ones to add a tender and heartfelt direction to their work since they first emerged, 'First Loves' is more about pursuing those more troubled and pensive experiences falling in love can conjure up. With the opening offering 'Evelyn' tackling unrequited love, and the final single 'Helen Of Hammersmith Bridge' about losing sight of yourself when first meeting someone new, their newest collection takes a more confrontational look at love and relationships, one that feels more intimate and personal than anything they have embraced on before.

And although it does sound like a more downbeat effort on paper, 'First Loves' still manages to capture plenty of warm and serene moments synonymous with the Bear's Den aesthetic to date. Brimming with some wonderfully beautiful and alluring prose throughout, they are showing that even after all they have delivered in the last twelve months, they are still finding new and interesting ideas in which to explore.