by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
After a pair of singles last year, Chicago’s Babe Report return with their debut EP, The Future of Teeth, out this Friday, April 22nd. The band, led by former FCKR JR members Ben Grigg (Geronimo!, Whelpwisher) and Emily Bernstein, have expanded their line-up to include Peter Reale (Yeesh) on drums and Mech on bass. The sound of their record is full of thick fuzz and syrupy melodies, burly distortion paired with pop simplicity, creating what was once considered to be “FM gold”. With influences that range from Kleenex to Yo La Tengo and Lightning Bolt, there’s a lot of different ideas swirling around, but where those bands dive between punk detachment, abrasive chaos, and a meditative sense of the serene, Babe Report opt for something accessible and immediate, with songs that feel fully formed the moment the feedback starts to ring.
The band introduced their full line-up with December’s “Malort Is My Shepherd,” the EP’s opening track, led by the buzzing twin guitar attack of Grigg and Bernstein. The messy chord progression and stampede of a rhythm feel like a lost nugget of the early 90s, swinging between layers of barn burning guitar distortion. They continue to up that ante with the dirge of “Self Stick,” a track that sounds like primal sludge pop meets The Breeders. While a lot of focus goes to the guitars, the rhythm section absolutely rips, drawing focus on “Mutual French Friend,” as Reale and Mech utterly pummel the beat into the ground. Every fill on the EP hits hard, but this one feels especially dense.
Babe Report bring something a bit different with each song, from the shoegaze blur of “Headwounds” to their reimagined version of early single “Oil, LOL,” this time recorded with the full band. The hypnotic post-punk of the guitars is given an added degree of razor sharp strength. Recorded by the band and mastered by Greg Obis, there’s a sonic clarity throughout the EP, with every member’s contributions easily heard, even at its most tangled and hazy. Babe Report create something that sounds undeniably familiar while exploring different sets of fuzz soaked intricacies, with those subtle differences becoming increasingly apparent on repeat listens.