Songs for Polarbears is the debut studio album by Northern Irish–Scottish alternative rock band Snow Patrol, released on 31 August 1998 in the United Kingdom and 12 October in the United States.

[7] The album charted at #143 in the UK and did not sell well upon its initial release.

The band was listening to a diverse range of music at the time, with majority of it being American rock like Pixies, Soundgarden and Dinosaur Jr. Other acts included My Bloody Valentine and Super Furry Animals' first album Fuzzy Logic.

[8] All these influences resulted in a musically diverse album that incorporated styles like hip hop, drone and Pavement-style indie rock.

[9] The album title is a reference to the band's previous name Polarbear.