Posted July 20, 2020 at 2:21 pm
Genre: indie rock

Written by
Becca Carroll

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Baebadoobee doesn't want you feeling sorry for her.

In the past year, she’s pretty much dominated this strain of badass indie rock that reminisces on the pre-2000s, which she’s taken even greater hold of with the release of new track, “Care.”

Baebadoobee isn’t exactly a household name – except, at this point, I really only mean that literally. As in, literally, I didn’t know how to even say this name until I watched an interview, where she sweetly introduced herself in an adorable West-London accent. It’s pronounced exactly how it’s spelled: bay-ba-doo-bee (and we all probably could’ve gotten that one ourselves if not for the sheer amount of syllables).   The solo artist, who also goes by Bae, has rapidly worked her way from recording singles in her bedroom, to fronting Spotify’s notorious branded playlists, to being nominated for a Critic’s Choice award, and has gained a great deal of industry muscle behind her in the process. So, as far as household names go, she’s doing a whole lot better than, well, almost all of us. Since the drop of her first EP, Space Cadet, she’s been praised for her sound’s ability to capture this nostalgic 90’s indie-pop in a way that not many can front with quite as much authenticity as Bae. She’s often compared, though, to bands like Snail Mail or Soccer Mommy. I tend to feel this all was low-key thanks in part to England’s own DIY indie/pop lovechild, The 1975, who, in 2018, had a basically taken in the nineteen-year-old by connecting her with record label Dirty Hit. But, in all reality, the two bands were a perfect match, and Bae was all set to open up their North American tour this year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On paper, she’s another teenaged-dreamer-turned-sensational, even though she’s still just in the infant stage of her career – I mean, this lil bae was born in the year 2000, and only began releasing music in 2017. I don’t like to over-hype, but this girl has got some reach.  In the past year, she’s pretty much has dominated the strain of indie that really reminisces on the pre-2000s, which she’s taken even greater hold of with the release of her new single, “Care.” Paired with a retro, DIY video as a product of quarantine, perfect for summertime, this song screams nostalgic closing credits. The artist even said herself, “It has end-of-a-90s movie vibes, like if you’re driving down a highway.” ‘ Yep, ‘windows down with friends and cigs’ is written all over this one – think Clueless, think The Breakfast Club, basically anything that made you feel a whole lot cooler than your homemade cutoff tee had indicated at the time. 

“Always” by Rex Orange County official audio via YouTube; off new record Pony

But this isn’t the breezy, reminiscent track you might expect from hearing “end-of-a-90s-movie vibes.” Baebadoobee’s pissed off, regardless of what this song’s carefree, catchy-pop-rock outer layer might imply. The lyrics are straight forward, and they say it all, 

“I don’t want your sympathy, I guess I’ve had it rough, but you don’t really care.”

To me, they say, “I don’t want you to feel fucking sorry for me, I just sort of want you to give, like, half a shit…” The chorus really hones in on that word, “care,” repeating it over and over again as though to emphasize just how much she wished this person cared, but also just how much the person didn’t. Honestly, it sounds like the perfect song to have a mental breakdown to – just scream these lyrics over and over again, and it will probably serve as some sort of release. Personally, I feel like I can rock out, cry OR sing into my hairbrush to this song, depending on my mood, and I think that’s all that Bae was really going for – a soundtrack for whatever high or low you happen to be having that day. “Care” is vulnerable, but it’s badass, making it a song that any girl or guy could cling to and/or feel empowered by.  Bae reminds us that no one really knows you but yourself, and as dark as that may seem, I think it’s a pretty powerful thing to be aware of.

The UK artist has announced her first full-length debut later this year, called “Fake it Flowers,” to be released later this year via Dirty Hit.  The release date hasn’t been confirmed, but considering there’s the sad amount of 90s-indebted grunge these days, it can’t come soon enough. 

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new music

baebadoobee doesn’t want you feeling sorry for her

In the past year, she’s pretty much dominated this strain of badass indie rock that reminisces on the pre-2000s, which she’s taken even greater hold of with the release of new track, “Care.”

by: Becca Carroll
July 20 2020 | Indie

Baebadoobee isn’t exactly a household name, except, at this point, I really only mean that literally. As in, literally, I didn’t know how to even say the name until I watched an interview, where she sweetly introduced herself in an adorable West-London accent. It’s pronounced exactly how it’s spelled: bay-ba-doo-bee (and we all probably could’ve gotten that one ourselves if not for the sheer amount of syllables).   The solo artist, who also goes by Bae, has rapidly worked her way from recording singles in her bedroom, to fronting Spotify’s notorious branded playlists, to being nominated for a Critic’s Choice award, and she’s gained a great deal of industry muscle behind her in the process.  Since the drop of her first EP, Space Cadet, she’s been praised for her sound’s ability to capture this nostalgic 90’s indie-pop in a way that no one has been able to since, well, the 90s, often getting compared to artists like Snail Mail or Soccer Mommy. This was low-key thanks in part to England’s own DIY indie/pop lovechild, The 1975, who, in 2018, had a basically taken in the nineteen-year-old by connecting her with record label Dirty Hit. But, in all reality, the two bands were a perfect match, and Bae was all set to open up their North American tour this year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On paper, she’s another teenaged-dreamer-turned-sensational, even though she’s still just in the infant stage of her career – I mean, this lil bae was born in the year 2000, and only began releasing music in 2017. I don’t like to over-hype, but this girl has got some reach.  In the past year, she’s pretty much has dominated the strain of indie that really reminisces on the pre-2000s, which she’s taken even greater hold of with the release of her new single, “Care.” Paired with a retro, DIY video as a product of quarantine, perfect for summertime, this song screams nostalgic closing credits. The artist even said herself, “It has end-of-a-90s movie vibes, like if you’re driving down a highway.” ‘ Yep, ‘windows down with friends and cigs’ is written all over this one – think Clueless, think The Breakfast Club, basically anything that made you feel a whole lot cooler than your homemade cutoff tee had indicated at the time. 

“Care” by baebadoobee official video via YouTube

But this isn’t the breezy, reminiscent track you might expect from hearing “end-of-a-90s-movie vibes.” Baebadoobee’s pissed off, regardless of what this song’s carefree, catchy-pop-rock outer layer might imply. The lyrics are straight forward, and they say it all, 

“I don’t want your sympathy, I guess I’ve had it rough, but you don’t really care."

To me, they say, “I don’t want you to feel fucking sorry for me, I just sort of want you to give, like, half a shit…” The chorus really hones in on that word, “care,” repeating it over and over again as though to emphasize just how much she wished this person cared, but also just how much the person didn’t. Honestly, it sounds like the perfect song to have a mental breakdown to – just scream these lyrics over and over again, and it will probably serve as some sort of release. Personally, I feel like I can rock out, cry OR sing into my hairbrush to this song, depending on my mood, and I think that’s all that Bae was really going for – a soundtrack for whatever high or low you happen to be having that day. “Care” is vulnerable, but it’s badass, making it a song that any girl or guy could cling to and/or feel empowered by.  Bae reminds us that no one really knows you but yourself, and as dark as that may seem, I think it’s a pretty powerful thing to be aware of.

The UK artist has announced her first full-length debut later this year, called “Fake it Flowers,” to be released later this year via Dirty Hit.  The release date hasn’t been confirmed, but considering there’s the sad amount of 90s-indebted grunge these days, it can’t come soon enough. 

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Posted July 20 2020 at 11:46 PM
Written by Becca Carroll

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