Newcastle’s jangly indie-pop disruptors BEAR PARK are back—and this time, they’re howling. The trio, known for their surfy hooks, whip-smart wit, and fuzzed-out flair, have announced GROWL, a four-track covers EP dropping September 26 on Gary Powell’s (The Libertines) label 25 Hour Convenience Store. And in true Bear Park fashion, it’s not your typical tribute collection.

If you thought covers were safe, think again. GROWL tears through genre lines like a bear through a tent, reimagining songs from punk, dance, garage rock, and heavy metal through Bear Park’s kaleidoscopic lens. First up is “Teenage Bomb,” a rework of a cult classic by Scottish punks The Needles, out now (July 25) and featuring a searing guest appearance from The Damned’s Brian Robertson on the track’s extended, eight-minute coda.

“We’ve been playing it live and it goes down like a bomb,” frontman Guy grins. “It’s teenage angst, brutal rhythm, and a long, loud ending. We’re very proud of it.”

Next up on August 29 is “Testify,” a wildly unexpected cover of HiFi Sean and Crystal Waters’ clubland gem—now injected with Bear Park’s rock-and-roll heartbeat. “We couldn’t touch Crystal’s vocals, but we gave it a Bear Park hug,” says Shay. “And it grooves.”

The EP closes with a double A-side release dropping September 26: a raucous rework of the Flamin’ Groovies’ 60s staple “Shake Some Action” and a swaggering, blues-drenched spin on Motörhead’s iconic “Ace of Spades.” It’s less full throttle, more velvet underground sleaze—but with just the right amount of bite.

“Lemmy wrote two versions of that song—one heavy, one bluesy,” Shay explains. “We tried to honor that with something of our own.”

After a whirlwind year of touring with The Libertines and The Lightning Seeds off the back of their 2024 debut Head of the United States, BEAR PARK found themselves creatively restless. “We hadn’t had time to write,” the band admits. “So we jammed. Songs we loved. Songs that challenged us. Eventually we thought—these deserve to be heard.”

And thus, GROWL was born. A genre-bending, joyfully unhinged detour that’s equal parts homage and transformation. “It’s a Bear Park take on some brilliant songs,” they say. “And we’re calling it GROWL—because that’s what bears do to greet each other.”

Whether it’s a smirk, a snarl, or a full-on roar, GROWL is BEAR PARK at their boldest—and we’re here for every second.

GROWL EP drops Sept 26

Tracklist:

    1.    Teenage Bomb (The Needles) – Out Now

    2.    Testify (HiFi Sean ft. Crystal Waters) – Out Aug 29

    3.    Shake Some Action (Flamin’ Groovies) + Ace of Spades (Motörhead) – Double A-side, Out Sept 26

Get ready. It’s about to get loud.

GROWL feels like a wild detour—covers that somehow sound more like Bear Park than the originals. What was the “aha” moment that sparked this EP?

We clocked pretty quickly that no matter how weird or wild the original song was, once we ran it through the Bear Park machine, it just worked. The studio sessions had this proper momentum—every track fed into the next, and we didn’t overthink it. We threw in our usual tricks, chucked in some new ones, and watched it all fall into place with a grin.

You’ve taken on punk, dance, garage rock, and metal… was there a song you were scared to touch at first? 

Yeah—‘Ace of Spades’ came with a bit of a health warning. Lemmy’s voice is a beast, and we knew we weren’t gonna out-shout him, so we rewrote the rulebook. We gave it a new melody and basically flipped it into some Velvet Underground dream-pop madness. It ended up sounding like it was written on another planet—which is kind of what we were going for.

‘Teenage Bomb’ is eight minutes of glorious chaos, with Brian Robertson (The Damned!) on board. What was it like watching that final coda come together? 

That track was like jumping into the deep end and building a submarine on the way down. We had no idea where it would land, but the further it went, the better it got. The ending in particular—each part takes a swing and hits hard. It’s one of the most fun, unhinged things we’ve made. Controlled chaos at its finest.

From ‘Testify’ to ‘Ace of Spades,’ these tracks span decades and moods. What connects them, in your eyes—or ears?

Us. We’re the glue. Whether it’s stripped-back melancholy or a full-volume racket, we’ve got this way of making it feel like Bear Park. The genre doesn’t really matter—we twist it to fit. That’s kind of our thing: bend it ‘til it fits our vibe, then send it.

 

Your version of ‘Testify’ grooves with swagger, but keeps the gospel heart intact. How do you decide what to preserve and what to mess with when reimagining a track? 

We start with gut instinct—what feels right in our world. If it sounds like Bear Park, it stays. If it doesn’t, we tinker until it does. We want to surprise people without losing ourselves in the process. That balance is everything. And sometimes, like with ‘Ace of Spades,’ we just tear the whole thing down and start from scratch.

‘Shake Some Action’ meets punk and psychedelia halfway—what about that track made it a Bear Park essential? 

It just clicked. First run-through in the studio and it already felt like ours. We didn’t want to mess too much with it, but we did crank up the energy to match how good it felt to play. Some songs just sit right in your bones. This was one of them.

You’ve described GROWL as a reset. After your debut self titled album and a massive tour, what did you need to shake off—or rediscover?

We needed to remind people—and maybe ourselves—that we can take a left turn and still sound like Bear Park. These songs are nothing like our usual stuff, but they still feel completely “us.” It was a shake-up without a meltdown. Just flexing different muscles.

How did working on someone else’s material affect your chemistry as a band? Did it shift anything creatively going forward? 

Yeah, it gave us a new lens. You don’t write it, so you’ve got to earn it—make it yours. That process actually made us tighter. You start hearing things like, “What would that band do here?” or “How would we do this better?” It sharpened our instincts and gave us new ideas for our own stuff.

GROWL is loud, playful, and totally unhinged in the best way. Was that freedom something you felt missing in previous releases? 

Not missing, just different. With originals, you’re building from the ground up. With these, we had a foundation and permission to go wild. It took the pressure off. We weren’t precious—we just let loose. No rules, just noise. And we think that energy comes through loud and clear.

And finally—if your debut album’s lead track, Head of the United States was your manifesto, what is GROWL? A love letter? A palette cleanser? A middle finger? 

Palette cleanser, hands down. GROWL is us stretching out, messing around, proving a point without spelling it out. It’s us saying, “We’re still Bear Park—but we’re also not afraid to set fire to the map and draw a new one.” Whatever comes next, this clears the decks for it.