Minus the Bear Stream Early Demo Version Of 'The Pig War'

07-11-2025

(The Syndicate) The twentieth anniversary deluxe reissue of Minus the Bear's seminal 2005 album Menos el Oso is due August 22, 2025 via Suicide Squeeze Records, and today they're excited to share for the first time "The Pig War (Demo)," an early version of what would become one of the most emotionally evocative, nostalgia-tinged cuts on the record.

Speaking on the song, the band's vocalist Jake Snider says "The music for the song had a melancholy, rolling feel leading me to nostalgic memories of being on Wescott Bay on San Juan Island, a few hours trip north of Seattle. The lyrics are more an impression of the place than a narrative; a longing for the simplicity of being there. It's cool to hear the contrast between the rougher edges of the demo against the album track's more polished flow."

This unreleased version follows on the heels of the recently released demo of fan-favorite album cut "Hooray." Last week, the band revealed the supporting acts for their fall tour celebrating twenty years of the album.

The 2xLP release includes a remastered version of the original album on one 12" and 5 unreleased original demos on the second 12", including the demo versions of "The Pig War" and "Hooray," available to stream now for the first time. Side B of disc two features an etching by bassist Cory Murchy. The reissue also includes Los Archivos Del Oso, a 24-page archive photo journal from the band's personal collection.

Speaking on the reissue, Snider says "...Oso is a band and fan favorite. We came into our sound on this record. I'm excited for fans to hear these demos for the first time! Revisiting demos and hearing the evolution of some of these tracks puts me right back in our early 2000s practice space. And now we're literally back in that same practice space for rehearsals. It's wild!"