10 Albums in 10 Days: Day 8
I’M NOT MAKING GOOD DECISIONS, BAKERS EDDY, 2018
I know this segment is called “10 albums in 10 days” but suuurely a six-song EP counts?
If you’re not convinced, you will be, because Bakers Eddy cram the energy of a full album into just six explosive tracks on I’m Not Making Good Decisions.
If you’re not familiar with Bakers Eddy, they are another fine member of the “stuff from New Zealand Australians claim as their own” collection, which includes Phar Lap, Russell Crowe and fellow musos, Crowded House. (What a shame we don’t continue this trend into politics).
The Kiwis turned Melburnians are responsible no doubt for playful arguments between friends across the Tasman but also some of the most exciting and lively gigs in the city. To put it into perspective, I have lived here for six and a half months now and seen them twice in that time (would be thrice if it weren’t for that pesky coronavirus).
The guide to whether you’ve seen a “good” Bakers Eddy show is simple; did frontman Ciarann Babbington remove his shirt? Yes – it was good. No – you’re still good, it’s probably just cold. There is no such thing as a bad Bakers Eddy show. Think of dimly lit small bars and that one band that walks in and makes it feel like a packed out stadium or festival show but still with the sincerity of a small, lowkey show.
Their sound, including this EP (I realise this is turning into more of a “band review” than an “album review”) is fast, loud and dirty. Each of these tracks features relatable lyrics for anyone in their 20’s, if an EP titled “I’m Not Making Good Decisions” isn’t hint enough at that.
The title track, Good Decisions will be a familiar story for any young person who has been living such a seemingly happy, go-lucky life which is plagued by living pay day to pay day, the fear of disappointing your parents and doubting your career and other general life decisions, only the guitar-work makes it so much more satisfying than a self-help book.
Sad and Happy then moves onto another topic all too familiar to young people, technology, giving a big f you to emojis and desperation for online validation, as put all too well in the line “it’s a dopamine addiction/everything has turned to fiction,” to a fast, screaming punk track.
Other tracks worth a shoutout are the ultra-cool Talkback Radio, which is starts out a little less distorted but still brings in those typical Bakers Eddy sounds into the chorus and Loaded Gun, which starts out with Wiggles banter before launching into the anthem of a Bakers Eddy live show with those contagious “na na nan na na na na nas”.
I hope I can return to reviewing Bakers Eddy sooner rather than later, because that will mean a full album has dropped, and bring that one, because one EP in and I’m already hooked.
