It’s finally here! Last night, Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists played the release show for their new "single," a four song digital/casette release titled I Learned to Drown Myself Out, Part I (Part II is coming "soon"–I want it NOW!). Baby Bry Bry’s live shows are action packed and exhilarating. The Apologists, some of the most accomplished musicians in DC, provide the rocket fuel that launches Bry Bry’s stage presence into the stratosphere. Every show wins an entire new room full of fans, and as the rooms get bigger, they stay just as crowded with crazy kids rocking their faces off. It’s been a year since Bry Bry’s last release, Is It Anything Or Is It Everything, but it feels longer.
Bry Bry’s style is all over the place, ranging from blue-eyed soul to wild and crazy punk, and the first two songs off I Learned to Drown Myself Out, Part I are a perfect example of his range. "Lately" starts similarly to Nirvana’s "Territorial Pissings," and for about a minute it’s a straight up old-school punk-rocker. But then there’s a little bridge with a sweet vocal melody and background harmonies. And then a vicious guitar solo. And then more sweetness.
"Just Because It’s Art (Doesn’t Mean It’s Good)" could be on a late Ween album, or The Pretenders. It’s a dancey island kind of thing. Yacht-rocky, but with punk-rock sounds. Humorous and hummable and head-bobbing good, with some fun changes throughout.
If you get the cassette you also get a cover of Big Black’s "Bad Penny" and a song called "Slumzzz." There are only 50 copies of the cassette, and a lot of them got scooped up at the show, so ACT NOW! –Natan Press