BAkeR is led by M.J. Baker (vocals/bass/guitars and keyboards). Baker has contributed to both the New Zealand and Australian music industries and was even a member of the FLYING NUN band Not Really Anything. Baker continues to contribute to these scenes with his debut EP Eternal Now under the moniker BAkeR. Synths, keys, guitars and more are a hazy blend as the sound definitely recalls in my mind the ‘80s. Once Baker’s vocals came in, the music really came together for a great vibe. He sings with an assuredness as if he’s perfectly comfortable in front of the mic, belting out these tunes.
Eternal Now opens up with “John,” where some synths and keys trickle in at the start of this track. Next, the guitars enter for a blitz of sounds. I enjoyed this dreamy approach that I thought sounded a lot like music from the ‘80s. After a long introduction, comes Baker’s vocals. His vocals were gritty and he sings with feeling on this track. The guitars also sounded great here. Baker’s sandpapery vocals flits and flows through this recording, making for an emotionally powerful listening experience. Some percolating beats enter the sounds here for a scintillating backbeat on “Happy As Larry Silverstein.” The rush of sound made for a compelling vibe. This was a nice change of pace from the previous track. Here the vibe was moodier. The guitars come in with a great rock vibe on “Stich In Time.” Next, the chill instrumentals made for a great sound. Baker’s vocals sound slightly off-key, but in a way, it made it sound like he was half-singing and half-spoken word, which proved to be a very interesting approach. On “Star Bugz,” some more synths and beats roll in at the start of this song. Next, some guitars create a dreamy pop sound. Baker uses spoken word and I was reminded of John Mellencamp. The distorted vocals together with the scintillating synths and beats made for a great listen. Finger-picking on the electric guitar together with percussion made for an invigorating sound on “Crooked.” The synths came in for more of a dreamy vibes. Baker imbues tons of feeling into this track as he sends us off with this moving closer. Baker’s sandpapery vocals together with the indie rock, pop rock and shoegaze-y music made for an interesting combination. At times he resembled Dylan if Dylan ever got into the dream pop genres. Awash in layers of hazy synths and a dream-like sound that definitely will leave you wanting to return to again and again, Baker definitely is on the cusp of something here. This proved to be a great introduction to his sounds and I can’t wait to hear more!
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April 2024
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