Susan Bear drops new single “Archive Memory”

Glasgow-based artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Susan Bear has spent the last several years building one of the most fascinating catalogues in Scotland’s independent music landscape. From her debut album Creature in 2020, released under her previous moniker Good Dog, through to the self-made Alter and Algorithmic Mood Music, Susan has earned a reputation for complete creative control, writing, performing, recording and mixing her work from her Glasgow studio.

Alongside her solo output, she’s become an integral figure within the wider Scottish music community, producing for and performing with artists including The Pastels, Malcolm Middleton, Karine Polwart, Sacred Paws, Martha Ffion and Sarah Hayes, while also contributing to the Scottish women and non-binary artist collective Hen Hoose. While her earlier albums earned extensive support from BBC 6 Music, BBC Scotland and regional stations across the UK, her latest creative chapter feels like an exciting shift deeper into the world of electronic production.

It’s a move that seems entirely natural for someone whose career has balanced songwriting, production, collaboration and experimentation with equal confidence. The framework for this new body of work arose from late-night sessions at the Glasgow Library of Synthesized Sound, an extensive collection of modern and vintage synths where Susan works. Surrounded by machines that carry decades of electronic history within their circuitry, she began constructing a new series of compositions using hardware synths and drum machines before recording everything into Ableton.

Every stage of the process remained in her hands; the tracks were composed, performed, recorded, produced and mixed entirely by Susan herself, building on the self-sufficient approach that she’s become known for. Earlier this year, the single “Utopia” offered the first taste of this expanding sonic world, drawing comparisons to artists such as Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada while leaning into a nostalgic IDM-inflected sound.

Now that journey continues with “Archive Memory,” a track that ventures further into club-influenced spheres while maintaining the dreamlike qualities that have become central to her artistic vision. Pulsing rhythms drive the track forward while layers of accelerating percussion create a constant sense of movement and anticipation and above the rhythmic backdrop, a whispered chant drifts through the arrangement, introducing an almost hypnotic element that transforms the piece into a wholly absorbing soundscape.

The hardware used throughout the production plays an important role in constructing its distinctive character with Susan using the Moog Grandmother, the original Roland TR-606 and TR-808 drum machines, the Korg Minilogue and the Sequential Circuits Prophet. Brought in by the dreamy flicker of airy synth tones, the rustle of percussion injects a steady forward motion, building up the beat with rattling rhythms which contrasts the mesmeric sweep of immersive textures and warm bass notes. Flowing with intricate melodies and hazy vocal elements, the track jumps into a driving scene packed full of shuffling percussion, bubbling synth lines and atmospheric aesthetic.

“Archive Memory is about wanting to shut off parts of your brain,” Susan shares and the contrast between uptempo rhythms and hypnotic instrumentation forms an engrossing music experience that allows for such a meditative listening state. As further releases arrive throughout 2026, this electronic-focused project continues to reveal new dimensions of Susan Bear’s compelling artistic offering. “Archive Memory” stands as another exciting step forward, combining club energy, experimental curiosity and immersive atmosphere into something that feels intoxicating, otherworldly and entirely her own.

Listen to Archive Memory below

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