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Los Angeles, CA indie rockers Near Beer is surprise releasing two new singles this Friday, March 10 via Double Helix Records in advance of a run of four shows at SXSW in Austin, Texas later this month.And guess what? We are premiering one of them called ‘Forced Perspective’. You can stream the song below. This is the band’s first new music since the 2022 release of their self-titled debut album on Double Helix Records and it’s a real beaut.

"This song was originally written for my old band FAKERS,” says vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Joey Siara. “Everyone in that band would write a song or two and then we'd record and see what made sense to release. We broke up before I ever got a chance to record this one with them. But it still lingered -- because it was always fun to do live. I figured I'd give it a try with NEAR BEER. And I'm happy we did. It's arguably the most stripped down recording we've done. Just two guitars, bass, drums -- and a double-tracked vocal I cranked out at the end of a long day of recording. Didn't want to overthink this one. And that's what I like about it.

“I rewrote some of the lyrics,” continues Siara. “I live in a neighborhood in New York City that feels like a weird mix of ambitious twenty-somethings and a bunch of retired people with rent-controlled apartments. I am neither of those. But I still like my neighborhood. And I walk my dogs late at night and think a lot of silly thoughts -- late-thirties existential fun stuff. Plus, I just found out that Herman Melville lived a few blocks away and walked these streets a lot -- so, we threw in the 'I'd prefer not to' line as a nod. Bartleby feels like a proto-quiet-quitting millennial. And that's part of the vibe of the song." 

Not enough Near Beer yet? For those who want to see a whole lot of awesome dogs, including the dogs owned and loved by the NEAR BEER folks, check out the band’s official music video for 2022's "Yelling at a Dog" on YouTube.

(photo credit: Brad Coolidge)