Baby Shakes are back !! Its been a long time coming. I was super bummed when they announced their initial breakup. And now, they have made their return in a fantastic way with this new LP. It’s like ATL the way I remember. Let’s take a step back in time. I need to elaborate this.

The Atlanta music scene from the early 2000’s was everything you could possibly imagine. The Black Lips, Coathangers, and Deerhunter were the top dawgs in those days.They even had a mod band in The Booze. They made 3 solid records, but also there was so much more. Power-pop and punk in Atlanta always hit a soft spot for me, because it was always so original from song writing and influences all the way to even the way the bands recorded.

The Carbonas were my all time favorite. I was in a punk band when I was 19 that was heavily influenced by that raw, born to lose kinda rock and roll. Johnny Thunders and Stiv Bators were our idols, and Marc Bolan could hold us glued to the TV screen. I remember hearing the first Baby Shakes 7 ” in 05 or 06, and it blew my mind. It was like Nikki Corvette but better. How in the hell did they pull this off ? Then, I heard their first LP in 09, which I immediately recognized it as an ATL band because of one major distinction, the drum sound. The Dave Rahn drum sound. It’s like no other. He was the drummer for Carbonas and Gentleman Jesse, and I’m sure many other bands as well. Its the snare that’s the most distinct. It has this flat sound that reminds me of hearing the way punk and powerpop bands recorded in the 70’s. I tried to find that sound in my own band’s recordings especially with Nightmare Boyzzz, but could never figure it out. Now here we are in 2015, talking about Baby Shakes again.

This record was well worth the wait in so many ways. It exceeded my expectations from the first listen. When the opening track began, I just knew this wasn’t gonna suck. This one manages to surpass everything in their discography. It just hits a lot harder than anything previous.  She’s a Star and Summer Sun will lock you in immediately and then you’re in for the whole thing. Teenage Cloud is the best song they’ve ever written at least in my opinion, probably the best power-pop song I’ve heard in years. Thats saying a lot. These ladies have managed to pull off a an amazing comeback record. It’s extremely memorable and will have you have you humming these songs on the way to the bus stop or while you are at work.  Thats exactly what a good record is supposed to do. Being a powerpop nerd, I just  can’t help but eat this up. Just a solid record. They just finished a European tour too and played with Protex. Don’t miss out miss on this one. Just a solid record, an instant classic.

A+++

By Justin Crumpton