(self-released)
The aptly named “New Music” by Old Baby saunters and slinks into your brain, all slow grooves and seething melancholia simmering just below the surface. You can practically feel the dust rising off the album, if only for the sublimely western qualities of the band, which combines a wide array of sounds ranging from ambient to folk to indie to visceral effect. You could live in the space between the notes, the most obvious indicator of the bands unparalleled restraint and dedication to craft that they function as the sum of their parts, not a Frankenstein-like amalgamation of their constituent influences. Old Baby thrives here, privileging atmosphere and mood above any kind of flashy showmanship. There is an almost Swans-like quality to “New Music,” which sees the band all over the place tonally, but still finding a niche uniquely their own.
