Monday 2/1: Babehoven—"Older"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the L.A.-based indie songwriter Babehoven.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the L.A.-based indie songwriter Babehoven.
Babehoven—"Older"
Eric Bennett:
I really appreciate this song for how much it conveys while not really doing that much. It’s sparse, just faint guitar, some weather-worn sounding keys, and Maya Bon’s wandering vocal. Bon’s tone is lovely and unique. It reminds me in a way of when I put a record on the wrong speed and it sounds pitched down and warped. This is particularly true here on “Older.” The track is at once murky and light, like a dark plume of smoke. It’s the perfect soundtrack for looking out the window on a winter night, light pollution refracting off the snow and clouds creating a faint orange glow even at night.
Eli Enis:
Babehoven are one of those bands I’ve been aware of for years but who I’ve never listened to closely. I’m glad we wrote about “Older”, though, because this is a really fine slowcore track with some wonderful tape echo (I think?) on the vocals that give it a weary, wobbly quality. It’s extremely minimal and the production quality is purposely a little bit shoddy, but I think this is a great example of lo-fi done well. I also like the lyrics a lot, which see Bon deliberating about staying where she’s at despite knowing that it’s time to move elsewhere. If you’re looking for slow, wintery, candle-night music, then this is it.