Bearings Bring The Summer Vibes With ‘Comfort Company’

Ottawa-based pop punk underdogs Bearings have returned with their fourth studio album entitled, ‘Comfort Company’. This marks their first release since 2023’s ‘The Best Part About Being Human’. It captures a lot of what makes this band so earnest and likable, as well as amping up the energy on these tracks for just fun and unadulterated pop punk. 

The record starts off with an absolute bang, with the title track of the album. It dives into a lot of that energy mentioned before, feeling super pop-punk to the max. It gives me the vibes of someone like Neck Deep, and it’s a great way to start off the record. Also, vocalist Doug Cousins sounds awesome on this one. As well as his and other vocalist Ryan Culligan’s voices going back and forth during the bridge of this. I’d be shocked if this doesn’t become a live set staple for them going forward. 

We follow up with another big pop punk anthem and one of the singles, with “Float Away”. It gives off a lot of bouncy sort of energy, and the summer vibe as well. The chorus goes absolutely dummy hard, and it’s one of their best to date. Derek Discanio of State Champs’ feature really fits into the atmosphere and high energy of this track, as he lives on this side of pop punk quite well. Shoutout to the production as well so far on this album, it’s really sounding crisp and needed for songs like these.

We jump to the very first single from the album, with “Quick Release”. I gotta say, it didn’t click with me at first when it was released as the lead single. But with more listens, it’s really grown on me and especially in context of the record. The drums by drummer Mike McKerracher are a real standout on this one as well. The chorus also feels more on the non-traditional side for this band, but it fits the vibe of what they’re going for and it adds a little variety to the album in a way. The solo by Culligan also goes so fucking hard on a song like this, and even that feels rare for them to throw in.

We follow up with a more throwback kind of track for the band, with “Feel Less”. This one instantly gave me vibes from their very first record, in ‘Blue In the Dark’. And it just feels very more in line with how I picture this band’s sound off the top of my head. Like the chorus feels so signature to this band’s sound over the years, and it’s nice to see them tap back into that kind of sound. The guitar by Culligan also shines on this one yet again. 

We reach the third single from the record in another summer-y track with “Freaking Me Out”. Like how the last one felt akin to their first album, this one feels similar to their second album in ‘Hello, It’s You’. It just taps into that sunny weather type of pop punk and leans into more pop-based melodies for the song. I do love how traditionally pop punk the verses feel, and the chorus feels more lighter. The main riff is a great staple to add onto a song like this as well. A lyric that stood out to me here was “Yeah, I’ll take anything that gets me there”. 

We keep the vibe of the last track alive with “Water Your Flowers”. This one’s honestly one of my least favorites on here, but I do appreciate it keeping the pacing of the album really good still. And I also appreciate how there feels like more groove in their instrumentals now, like showing off their growth as a band in a cool way. 

We go back to more bouncy type of vibes, with “Never Ending Cycle”. The main riff feels super pop rock, and this one definitely feels massive on the melodies throughout. The verses hit like crack in the way they’re delivered vocally by Doug. I can absolutely see this one being a fan favorite, and having a ton of replay value simply due to how catchy it is. Like, this could’ve easily had been a single leading up to the release of the album and it would’ve made a ton of sense.

We amp up the energy to 11 with the next track, in “Ease the Pressure”. The main guitar riff here feels so Yellowcard coded, and it sets the tone so well. The guitar tone absolutely fucks here as well since it’s important on a fast song such as this one. I can see this one being a cool live song for them, calling for circle pits and people moving like crazy for it. It makes for easily one of the best songs off this whole album. 

We jump to the penultimate track and my personal favorite on here, with “Through Those Eyes”. The drums by McKerracher absolutely deliver on a song such as this one yet again. And this song just feels like a good example of pop punk that’s right up my alley. It kinda gives State Champs vibes with the kind of energy it’s giving off. The bridge goes so hard, as Doug and Ryan’s back and forth vocals really sound great once again. I hope they add this to live sets since I’m sure it would be another fun one to see at one of their shows.

We reach the end of the record, with “Let Me Hate Myself”. This one easily feels like the most out there song of the record, as it gives off such Oasis vibes but mixed with their sound. It’s got some of the best lyrics on here by far, one of them being “let me hate myself so I can love you”. Doug’s spoken word sort of bits in the middle of the track feel right at home on a song like this as well. The guitar shines one last time as Culligan lets it rip as the album fades out nicely.

Four albums in, I think Bearings continue to be one of the unsung heroes of pop punk in 2025. ‘Comfort Company’ feels like yet another example of that, and you really don’t see the sort of earnest nature anymore that this band has always shown off across their discography.