Gold Baby are a Dreamy indie grunge-pop trio comprising of Siân Alex (guitars and vocals), Sara Kleppe (bass) and Scott Hislop (drums). Sian hails from Nottingham, Sara is a Swedish native and Scott a Bristolian who got together and are now based out of North London. Their four track debut EP `Rabbits` is released this month and deals with themes of moving on or being held back by something or someone.
This extended play opens with `Bodie` a quite wistful number that ambles along with an otherworldly, sort of laid back Sunday afternoon vibe. It seems to tell of somebody, possibly a spiritual presence now who lived in Brodie in its dying days. Bodie is a former gold-mining town in California’s near the Nevada border, a boom town in 1876 after the discovery of gold but a ghost town by 1915. The song complains about being promised Gold, metaphorically and perhaps physically but it didn`t quite turn out like that.
I couldn`t quite work out what `2041`was about, maybe something futuristic. Nevertheless, it begins pensively with cymbals being tapped, and softly shared bass and guitar then builds with harmonies, a bit stop start before the vocals are nigh on screamed, the song takes off before returning to a faraway state.
A track written about femininity, motherhood and the strengths and feelings the narrator has follows with `Betty` which begins quietly with plucked guitar chords and vocal harmonies then drums and bass join in. A contemplative, gentle and delicate reflective piece inspired by the singer`s mother as a thirty year old woman.
`Captain Dorego` rounds this release off and was written before Covid struck, about feeling overstimulated by modern life. It is based on the medieval concept of Cockaigne, a land of plenty in medieval myth, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. This to me was the highlight and I really enjoyed the interesting musical interplay with vocals that shimmered as they ran through different ranges throughout. A delightful composition to end on.
It’s always a little difficult to get a total flavour of a band from four tracks but there is an album to follow at some stage. `Rabbits` was a really enjoyable listen and the lyrics were quite thought-provoking, but songwriter Siân finds this process quite cathartic and therapeutic. This was quite a dreamy, reflective offering with a little bite, that needs a few listens to sink in. A taster, i`m sure, for what`s to come.
Rating 8.5 /10
