Photo Source: Baby Island
This Thursday, August 23rd, Baby Island will play a set at The Vera Project for The Believer Love Songs for Lamps Cassette Release. A big kaboodle of artists are due to perform, including but not limited to Calvin Johnson, Broken Water, Shana Cleveland and the Sandcastles, and Happy Noose.
The four piece group released their debut album – which is self-titled – back in February of this year. Baby Island’s quaint, solitary name captures the minitature worlds that revolve in their songs. Rarely eclipsing the three minute mark, each creation embraces their gentle psychedelic grip. Fans of ’60’s and ’70’s pop music with a twist will respond well to the material.
The Beatles, Beach Boys, The Zombies, Love – these are undeniable pop pillars of yesteryear that draw reasonable comparison. After all, Baby Island’s record cover is a clear homage to Love’s classic 1967 LP Forever Changes. For whatever weight they pull from decades past though, the outfit also contributes a modern indie rock vibe with tracks like "Backwards and Forwards" and "Live With It."
"Woke Up" catapults itself into catchiness with precise licks and a soothing, rhyme-ready singer. Faint warbles of psychedelia begin to shake themselves into the mix as the singer’s voice echoes and spirals out into the distance.
With over ten bands featured at the show – every band that appears on The Believer magazine’s cassette compilation – this is not one to be missed. The show costs $9, with doors at 7:30pm. Check out "Woke Up" from Baby Island below, and then visit their bandcamp to hear the rest of their eponymous record. Digital copies are available for $5, and on cassette for $7.
– Cameron LaFlam