Album: Remember This Feeling
Artist: Babe Club
Genre: #alternativepop #alternative #indie
Sub-Genres: #70snewwave #90saltpop
Label: Babe Club (independent)
Non-Airable Tracks: Need a Girl
Description:
On November 6, 2020, Babe Club released their debut EP Remember This Feeling. They describe their new EP as “5 songs cataloging the existential dread of figuring life out as a young person on the road”. Based in Charleston, SC, Babe Club has previously released three singles leading up to their EP and another song Road to Nowhere. A summary of their sound reads: “Capturing Blondie's mid 70’s new wave era, and the 90’s alt-pop group The Cardigans- Babe Club’s sound is marked by raw guitars, textural synths, & lustrous drum beats. A clever songwriting style reminiscent of Aimee Mann, their alluring melodies are fused with powerfully evocative and existential lyrics, yielding songs that explore self-realization, honest emotions, friendship and themes of love.”
Their EP definitely lives up to the two descriptions above. They do a great job of combining elements from the ‘mid 70’s new wave era’ and ‘90’s alt-pop’ in a way that makes their sound uniquely vintage and modern at the same time. The EP opens with Future Talks, and the first sounds are from a robotic sounding voice counting in before a slightly groovy, rhythmically segmented tune with classic 90’s alt-pop sounds and some 70’s synthesizer. The next track is Together, with more of a groove than the predecessor. The strings and chords create the 90’s feel and the groovy bass, the 70’s. On top of that, the guitars have more of a rock like sound, creating a unique layering of styles. Next, Automatic Love is more of a ballad, with some darker pop sounds and echoing guitar, reminiscent of Evanescence. Fourth in the sequence is Need a Girl followed by Expectation. Need a Girl is a bit of a change of pace from the previous three tracks; it has more of a pop sound with a dance-like feel to it. Expectation is most similar to the first track. Although less complex in arrangement, the layering of effects, vocals, and guitars gives a sense of depth that separates Expectation from Future Talks sound-wise.
Future Talks introduces the “coming of age” theme that is subtly emphasized with the use of every-day imagery throughout the EP. It mentions not knowing what direction to take in life, conflict with parents, and dislike of a traditional way of doing things all the while surrounded by grey walls and shaving your legs for the umpteenth time since you were twelve. Together describes the feeling of a first love and feeling like a new person because of it. Bedsheets, sunlight, and wine become special after becoming that new person through love. Need a Girl’s lyrics describe longing for typical teenage things - getting in trouble, driving around, being understood, and even “talking shit”. In Expectation, a road trip motif is used to give the feeling of time passing with different surroundings while the rest of the lyrics describe thoughts going through someone’s head after losing someone and trying to get over them.
All in all, Remember This Feeling from Babe Club is a beautiful collection of snapshots of growing up and becoming a young adult. Each track on the EP has a distinct sound, easy to recognize one from another, but the overall stylistic themes described above create a cohesive piece when they are put together. The EP feels very personal without having mounds of specific details of the writers’ lives, which also helps listeners connect since the lyrics could be similar to experiences they’ve had themselves. I’m glad I came across this EP and I look forward to listening to new stuff in the future from Babe Club! Check them out on Spotify, Apple Music, Band Camp, and their website! (bonus - they have about 12k monthly listeners on Spotify so you can brag you knew them before they got big ;) )
Sounds Like:
Blondie, The Cardigans, Amiee Mann
Dead Swells
Baby Yaga
Daddy's Beemer
Recommended Tracks:
Together
Expectation
Automatic Love
Reviewer’s Name: Haley Williams
Date of Review: January 31, 2021