Photo by Gabe Ruckus / Words by Willa Rudolph
New Brooklyn-based 5-piece Cry Baby is coming in hot with singles off their debut EP (name not yet announced) the third of which is out today. “One Thing,” inspired by artists like Beabadoobee and reminiscent of early 2000’s pop-rock, brings you into Cry Baby’s world with silky and evocative vocals and acoustic guitars intermingling within a digital electric soundscape. Skyscrapers of drums, synths, clean production, and fuzzy textures make up the version of the city Cry Baby lives in, depicted in the music video that comes along with the track.
“You know that feeling when you love someone more than they love you?,” lead singer Alex Carlson asks. “‘One Thing’ is about coming to terms with that feeling and finally being over seeking out validation from a partner who’s unwilling or unable to give it. It’s meant to be a sort of triumphant realization that you’re both finally on the same page about things, like we’re both over this dance we’re doing, lets just call it off. I think it means a lot when the person who is most afraid of losing their partner makes the decision to leave for their own sanity, that’s why there’s a pretty upbeat feeling to “One Thing,” it’s a decision worth celebrating.”
The lyrics, informed by past entanglements, reflect both sides of a relationship. “Whatever we do / wherever we go, I feel alone,” Carlson sings. Both ends of this feeling are “chances to learn more about what you need. The biggest inspiration, though, is the ‘cursed relationship’– the one that wasn’t meant to be no matter how hard you try. I’m sure others can relate to the relationship where something is always going wrong. Trust me, the universe is telling you it is not meant to be…”
The video, shot by Fiona Kane (Hotline TNT, Blaketheman1000, Quannic, Melody English), follows lead singer Alex and his love interest in the back of a convertible on the Brooklyn Bridge. “Crazy story, the vintage convertible in the video was provided by a semi-viral, middle aged TikTok-er. Fiona met this guy randomly on the Brooklyn bridge one day and the rest was history,” Cry Baby tells Deli. “Additional scenes were shot at Fiona’s apartment, where her roommate’s interactive art installations were put on display. The combination of these… mixed-media elements made for a whimsical and eye-spy-esque video that is truly unique.”
Cry Baby is Alex Carlson (vocals, guitar), Joey Haines (bass), Carte Long (guitar), Josh Kozic (keys), and Matt Allegrezza (drums). Citing inspiration from 90’s alt-rock acts like Third Eye Blind, Cry Baby also reminds me of certain early 2000’s artists, like Jesse McCartney, Jimmy Eat World, Coldplay, and The Killers. The landscape they’re creating is soft and poppy, but still has an edge to it in their lyrics, production, and layering of sounds.
I asked the band how their first three singles, “Hollister,” “Pretend,” and “One Thing” act as clues to the rest of the EP. Alex replied,”I think the real clue lies in the world that the songs create, like a place in time. The vibe of each of them lives in this nostalgic universe to me, but at the same time has something new to offer– it’s not just a nod to the past. The story lyrically, though, is inspired by a breakup and the phases you go through in moving on, or moving forward, I guess.”
If “One Thing was on a playlist with three other songs not by Cry Baby, Alex said they’d be:
1. Sunflower – Nitefire
2. Losing a Whole Year – Third Eye Blind
3. 10:36 – Beabadoobee
Bassist Joey Haines tells the Deli,”’One Thing’ is one of my favorite Cry Baby songs to date. Vocally, each section always catches me within the first line. I really feel the yearning in that first verse before we hit into the chorus. Live, we always get to scream “ONE THING…TWO THINGS”, which gets me hype every time. I am a sucker for any song that contains a bunch of heavy, glitchy elements yet still remains a sing-along pop song in the end.”
Photo by Hudson McNeese
Cry Baby links:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/crybaby.band
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crybabyband_
Tik Tok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMReP8mB5/
