Fever and sky. For more than two decades, Bear Rinehart — road warrior, storyteller, and ever-evolving songwriter — has seen plenty of both. 

He strikes a new balance between cathartic roots-rock and contemplative, cinematic moments with FEVER / SKY, his second album as Wilder Woods. Rinehart unveiled the solo project in 2019, releasing a self-titled debut record of nuanced neo-soul. FEVER / SKY covers different territory, with Rinehart refocusing his attention not upon the horizon ahead, but upon the road itself. Recorded with old friends and new collaborators, it’s a personal record about enjoying the modern moment, stacked high with soulful R&B textures, heartland hooks, and the willingness to chase the muse into unexplored places.

Bear Rinehart unveiled Wilder Woods in 2019, releasing a neo-soul record that focused on new beginnings: the advent of fatherhood, the launch of his solo career, and the updated branding of a longtime bandleader who’d decided to expand his reach. With FEVER / SKY, he widens Wilder Woods’ cinematic sound while celebrating the parts of himself that made him most proud. It’s a personal, poignant record whose songs focus not upon the horizon ahead, but upon the road itself, stacked high with heartland hooks, western wooziness, southern soul, and festival-worthy anthems. 

“I’ve been in a band for 20 years, and a band is a democracy where you make decisions together,” explains Rinehart, who also fronts the Grammy-nominated, chart-topping band NEEDTOBREATHE. “Wilder Woods is a different outlet. I’m giving myself the freedom to do what I want to do and say what I want to say. This isn’t the kind of journey where I’m worried about the places I’m headed or the places I’ve left; it’s a journey where I’m just happy to be in the car, driving forward.”