Electronic music catapulted into the second decade of the 21st Century, with artists like SOPHIE, Charli XCX and Grimes pouring industrial, techno and house textures into the pool of sounds pop now draws from. On her debut album HiiDE Margate native, BABii injects her own eclectic sound into the discourse. Her amalgamation of various electronic subgenres results in well-crafted and melodic alt-pop songs.
Album Art 'HiiDE' (2019)
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and though the dainty, breathy vocals never quite reach climax, it teeters on the edge of that point. At points, the album feels the same - a little too polished. Restrained.- This HIIDE Series 4, Handheld, Biometric Identity Management System came from a government facility and is in excellent condition. System includes: Handheld unit, 3 batteries, 2 wall chargers, 1 battery charger, 12 volt charger, carry strap, screen stylus, users manual and hard case.
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'VOLCANO' moves into an obviously more tropical house inspired vibe - the kind of vibe that Jamie xx crafts so well. It swirls in and out of consciousness, as BABii sings, “Let me tear through you”, in a sugar-coated rage. These contradictory and interacting feelings emerge as the album shifts into a higher state and BABii analyses her own emotions from a higher perspective, blanketed by hedonistic electronica.
'POiiSiN' enters like a pebble dropping into a remote lake, echoing vocals compliment the reflexive lyrics, which explore the throes of a toxic relationship. Final track S'EiiZURE' is what you may find reverberating from the speaker at a 2 am warehouse event, yet could easily be imagined to feature on a Samsung Galaxy advert. It’s forward-thinking, but not too alienating to be inaccessible. Again the fragile vocals work through a timeline of discovery of identity, “I dreamt of how disposable you made me feel when we were one”. Although her lyrical content can be obscured by the instrumentation, BABii's confessional moments can be incredibly introspective.
BABii is very much a product of Gen Z (her Twitter name is BABii_mp3 - need I say any more) yet she embraces the prevailing textures of modern and retro electronica, to put out an album on which is she is the embodiment of exciting new female artists in 2019. Although most will have known her for her appearance on Iglooghost’s track 'Shrine Hacker', HiiDE contrary to its name is ready to thrust the Margate artist into the foreground.
HiiDE is out on the 5th July via Deathwaltz Originals
Lead Image Credit: Album Art 'HiiDE' (2019)
BABii’s seemingly kawaii-inflected aesthetic – showcased, for example, via the cutesy cartoons on her album artwork – might prove uncomfortable to some, particularly as it could be construed as a white woman lifting from Japanese culture. Yet despite the preconceptions, it’s hard not to like ghostly debut album HiiDE once you give it a chance.
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The album’s structure will be familiar to anyone that’s dealt with their share of heartbreak, delivering different perspectives in the aftermaths of a failed relationship; ranging from the wistful ‘SYMETRii’ to the more combative ‘VOLCANO’. If there’s any criticism to be made, it feels like the album – propelled by icy electronic drum snaps – is just slightly too polished to reach beyond its beautiful artifice and into emotional catharsis.
BABii’s talent shines strongest in the more introspective moments, like when her fragile vocals beautifully meld with chilly electro on ‘CARNiiVORE’; a lover’s lament where the singer confesses “I fell in love with a carnivore”. There’s also a poetry to these lyrics; one of BABii’s particular strong suits, with the use of metaphor casting an emotionally vampiric ex-boyfriend as a predator of both the animal kingdom and the heart.
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