2012 sees the release of The 2 Bears debut album Be Strong. A London recorded through and through. It ducks and weaves to the myriad sounds of the city, as The 2 Bears' Raf Daddy and Joe Goddard pursue the perfect party record.
Alongside tracks like 'Be Strong", “Church”, and the mighty “Bear Hug” – a pummeling treatise on the benefits of the peak time dancefloor cuddle – Raf and Joe mutate genres into previously unheard territories of dancehall country on the bouncing prison yard lament, “Time in Mind” and garage reggae on “Heart of the Congos”, a track that manages to simultaneously channel both Wookie and early '80s Madness before placing them each in the heart of Notting Hill Carnival at dusk.
Upon venturing into the studio in an attempt to replicate some of the records that they'd lost themselves in the night before, Raf found himself laying down vocals over Joe's skipping, bassomatic backing tracks safe in the knowledge that they'd soon be replaced by someone sweeter, more melodious tones. In the end, it was Raf's voice that characterised and personalized The 2 Bears.