Skinner releases ‘Eisbär’ – cover of German ’80s synth-pop song

The no-wave artist has released a song he covered on his recent New Wave Vaudeville tour.

‘Eisbär’ is song from 1980 written by a Swiss Band called Grauzone (the title is German for “polar bear”.

The synth post-punk song first appeared on the 1980 compilation album Swiss Wave – The Album.

Aaron Corcoran aka Skinner and his band have been playing the song live on the recent tour in Ireland and the UK supporting the release of his debut album New Wave Vaudeville on Faction Records (DOI: I’m his manager).

Today, Skinner has released a recorded version of the cover, also sung in German.

“I’ve always had a real fondness for the song since I was a teenager. When translated to English the lyrics are so stark and I think it really captures the beauty and sadness of what it means to be lonely. The idea of wanting to be a polar bear alone in the arctic so you “wouldn’t have to cry and longer and everything would be fine” is so striking and I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling of isolation.

“We play the song live and I always ask if there are any Germans in the audience. Nine times out of 10, people come up to me afterwards and say how they’ve known that song since they were a kid in Germany and why is an Irish guy singing it in German haha. I’ve always been a huge fan of the German language so getting to perform a song in your non-native tongue is always very fun for me. Most of the time the Germans in the crowd say my accent is pretty good which is a huge compliment.”

Here’s the original:

Skinner Live dates:
Tuesday April 22 – Supersonic, Paris, France

Sunday May 25th  –  A Stone’s Throw Festival, North Shields, UK

Sunday June 1st – Ealu Na Gra, Galway, Ireland

Saturday June 7th  – When We Next Meet – Clonmel, Tipperary, Ireland

Sunday June 15th – Beyond The Pale, Wicklow, Ireland

Saturday 28th June  – Night and Day – Roscommon, Ireland

Friday 1st of August  – ATN, Waterford, Ireland 

Saturday  August 9th – Under The Drum, Ballyclare, Antrim, Northern Ireland

DISCOVER SKINNER

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