Grizzly Bear In Studio

Brooklyn, New York's Grizzly Bear recently got a chance to do something most bands only dream of: open for Radiohead. At the tour's last stop in Toronto, drummer Chris Bear and singer/guitarist Ed Droste still seemed awed by their selection.

"We still don't believe it," Droste said. "It's kind of something that we all discussed before, that it would be like the ultimate thing.

"And then we got this phone call. Even up until the first day, I thought that we would get cancelled on or something. It's been amazing. I don't want it to end."

But it did end on Aug. 15, and after a two-week break, the band were scheduled to head back to the studio to record the full-length follow-up to their Yellow House breakthrough.

The album will be produced by Bear, who also oversaw the first LP. Fans should expect the new record to sound a lot more like last year's Friend EP.

"It's definitely a little punchier, more rocking than Yellow House was," Bear says.

"I think it'll be more sonically dynamic than Yellow House," adds Droste.

The Radiohead dates gave the group an opportunity to road-test their new material in front of thousands of people every night.

Bear said that it was fortuitous that the songs the group are recording now happen to make for better performances.

"I think the new stuff has got a bit more of an appropriate vibe for a live set, just because it's a little more poppy. We're trying to think of people who don't know us, and I think it's important to cater to the audience in general. When we're formulating a set, we sort of think we have one chance and we really don't want to blow it."

Grizzly Bear will release their second full-length on Warp in early 2009. The group will likely be back on the road next April.