The weird thing about being in a band right now is you can record one song and then suddenly have all eyes on you at once. It's made some band's careers and destroyed others before they even had a chance to start. The Babies, which is made up of Woods’ Kevin Morby and Vivian Girls’ Cassie Ramone (they've since added bassist Brian Schleyer) had the luxury of beginning as a loose side project and avoiding some of that intense scrutiny. Though it's their sophomore release, the upcoming Our House on the Hill, which is out November 13th on Woodsist, feels like their true arrival. The album is strong and tight, moving from uptempo jammers to more somber, mature tracks like album closer "Wandering," which grapples with some pretty complicated emotions: Fall in love and then I hate everything I see, and this other time-bending nugget: Become what/ Become what/ Become who you are. As defeated as the song is, there's some real life changing truth there too. But it's not just a downer of a record—"Moonlight Mile" feels like an instant classic and a statement of purpose sung through gritted teeth: Isn't that the train that I'm on?/ You don't want on, then get off/ It's just who I am. For a band with such casual beginnings, there's plenty of artfully written songs and heavy moments to be found here.
Stream: The Babies, Our House on the Hill (via Spin
