Minus the Bear Streaming Brand New 'Drilling' Video

07-30-2025

(The Syndicate) Minus the Bear have shared a new music video for "Drilling," directed and edited by Cheyne Smith, and produced by Minus the Bear and Do Better For Artists.

The video, featuring the band jamming in the same rehearsal space they utilized twenty years ago when they first wrote the song, furthers the rollout of the deluxe reissue of their 2005 breakout album, Menos el Oso, due August 22 via Suicide Squeeze. The "Drilling" video follows the release of two recordings heard on the deluxe edition of the album: "Hooray (Demo)" and "The Pig War (Demo)."

Suicide Squeeze has also announced an additional pressing of Menos el Oso (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition), a 2xLP on beautiful Hand Pour Algae vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. The 2xLP release will include a remastered version of the original album on one 12", and 5 unreleased original demos and an etching by bassist Cory Murchy on the flip side of the other. The reissue also includes Los Archivos Del Oso, a 24-page archive photo journal from the band's personal collection.

Speaking on the reissue announcement, vocalist Jake Snider says "...Oso is a band and fan favorite! We came into our sound on this record. Excited people get 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!"

Guitarist David Knudson says "We toured so much for Menos el Oso - all these songs and riffs are stuck in my muscle memory like core childhood memories. The fingers and feet instinctively know where to tap and stomp at just the right time to make the notes and melodies leap out of my guitar. We were trying to push the envelope back in 2005 on this one - incorporating glitchy guitar samples, hip hop breakbeats and more electronic elements to the sound we had established on Highly Refined Pirates. Proud to say that 20 years later it still sounds fresh and I'm grateful people keep coming back to it as one of their favorites!"

He continues, "Menos el Oso put us on a trajectory that none of us were expecting. There is a "before 'Pachuca Sunrise' video" moment in time, and then there is an "after 'Pachuca Sunrise' video" moment in time. It seemed like once people heard that song, and saw that video, everyone went straight to Limewire, Napster, Soulseek, BitTorrent, etc. and shared the album immediately. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of something this monumental in our lives is a gift. Having the chance to appreciate it with our fans, families and fellow bandmates while we are all alive and kicking is an opportunity I can't wait to embrace."