CD of The Week

Brigitte Calls Me Baby - The Future Is Our Way Out (ATO)

Brigitte Calls Me Baby burst onto the scene in the past year with their 2023 debut EP This House is Made of Corners and an ear-catching sound, with frontman Wes Leavins’ voice landing somewhere between Morrissey and Roy Orbison. The reverb-heavy production nodded to old-time rock and roll, but on their full-length debut, The Future Is Our Way Out, the band expands their sound a bit more into a slightly more recent time. Also, the “Brigitte” in question is screen legend Brigitte Bardot, connecting them to the past in another way.

While the five-piece band is based in Chicago, Leavins is a Texas native with a big, booming, throwback voice. He played a young Elvis Presley in a touring musical about the legendary Sun Studios, which led to getting a call from Baz Luhrmann to contribute to the soundtrack to his Elvis movie. And while the King is an influence here on The Future Is Our Way Out, BCMB draw from the ‘80s quite a bit as well.

The songs on their This House Is Made of Corners mostly stayed in the retro ‘50s vibe but the newer songs on The Future Is Our Way Out lean into an ‘80s production influence, as well as modern bands that have pulled from those sounds. “Pink Palace” is very ‘80s New Wave via The 1975 with a bright and shiny guitar riff. You can also hear the heyday of ‘80s MTV bands on “Too Easy” and the twinkling “Palm of Your Hand.” Current single “We Were Never Alive” is in line with The Killers and their widescreen pop-rock. “I Wanna Die in the Suburbs” will draw even more Smiths comparisons, not just for the Johnny Marr-esque guitars, but the lyrics, which are Moz-coded with lines like “Oh, I wanna die in your four-car garage/Turn out the lights, then send in the entourage.”

The tracks from the EP still jump out, like the driving “Impressively Average” and reverb-heavy ‘50s rock crooner tune “Eddie My Love.” The album wraps up with “Always Be Free,” which could be soundtracking a high school slow dance at any point in history.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby have a unique hook, mashing up two retro sounds and vibes from two different decades. It works, though Leavins’ standout vocals are really what elevates the music and makes Brigitte, or anyone else, give them a call.

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Review by Joey O.