Nearly two years after the release of their EP, “The Make Out Sessions,” Boston-based rock quintet Baby Strange is back with a full length follow-up that is sure to leave listeners blown away. The band continues to deliver rock n’ roll so hot it threatens to melt headphones.
Comprised of Ryan Ennis (drums), Jason Horvath (bass), Hugh Wyman (lead guitar), Kristoffer Ehrig (guitar, vocals) and Eric Deneen (vocals), Baby Strange formed in 1999. Horvath had previously played with Ehrig and met Wyman at Northeastern University their freshman year. They completed their lineup by posting flyers looking for other musicians. They got their name from a song by T-Rex, another group the members of the band were fans of.
“Picking names is impossible; you go through a million of them and we were just like, ‘Baby Strange, that sounds cool,'” Horvath said.
Baby Strange’s latest recording, “Put Out,” maintains, as Horvath described, the band’s “sweet and sour” flavor — combining up-tempo music with somber lyrics. This album is the band’s first on Primary Voltage Records, as well as their first time working with former drummer for Letters to Cleo and producer Tom Polce.
“This was a very different experience,” Horvath said. “What we did was two months of pre-production before we even recorded. Tom came to our practice space two or three days a week and we just went through every little piece of every song, so we were super tight. We did it over a four-day span and pretty much recorded it live.”
That live energy runs rampant throughout the album from the opening beat of the title track, “Put Out.” The song brandishes a guitar riff that sounds similar to the solo-esque style of Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney sandwiched between a danceable rhythm and Deneen’s raspy yell.
The band switches gears for the next track, “Jukebox Queen,” a slower, bluesy rock ballad harkening back to the classic rock sounds of the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith. Reminiscent of a long drive, this song has the potential to become a sing-a-long classic along the same lines as Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
Baby Strange keeps it raw and intense through “Your Favorite Song” and “Everybody Wants You” before the slightly poppier “Broken Heart Mechanic.” However, the album’s stand-out track, “Hot Damn” shoots out from the middle of the album and forces listeners to tap their feet and bob their heads. This homage to Las Vegas is three minutes and 38 seconds of pure rock, ending with Deneen screaming “I had pocket Aces,” a line that is sure to stick in anyone’s head long after the album is through.
The next track, “Ghost,” could easily be heard on any radio station between artists like Jet and The Strokes. It’s straightforward combination of rock and pop makes it very listenable and gives it widespread appeal. It’s the perfect song to be followed by “Suicide Girl,” whose name alone is an indication of how heavy the track is.
“Suicide Girl” is dark and brooding, but the fast backing further encapsulates the sweet and sour taste Horvath described.
“Cynthia” reverts back to the band’s slower, ballad style. While more angsty than “Jukebox Queen,” this song still carries the same element of ’70s rock. However, the album ends with the same ferocity as it started with in “Nobody Knows You” and “Everywhere I Go.”
With the release of “Put Out” and their move onto Primary Voltage Records, Baby Strange is mounting to take on the Boston scene and beyond.
“The whole goal is to get out to more people,” Horvath said. “It’s been four and half years. Every year — bigger steps, bigger crowds, better records.”
Up next for Baby Strange is the “Put Out” release party with Aaron Perrino, The Information, the Model Sons and a special surprise guest on July 16 at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge.
