It’s hard to envy those poor souls tasked with compiling the BBC Sound of 2014 longlist. Chopping the most promising of the year’s breakout acts from every corner of the musical world down to just fifteen is no easy task, with countless bands and artists likely to fall through the cracks. But nonetheless, when the likes of Baby Alpaca pass through without even a mention, it makes you wonder what exactly is going on at the Sound of… HQ.
The Brooklyn quintet have certainly had a busy 2013, and their debut EP released over the summer has sent strong ripples across a surface that the five-piece will be looking to burst through over the next twelve months. ‘Wild Child’ opens the self-titled effort; a slow build into the record’s longest track that shapes up as quite a funky, bass-driven affair with the vocals of frontman Chris Kitrell looming over the piece in a reverberating gloom. It’s been described as very “stylised” music, almost as an insult, which it shouldn’t be. The fact is that Baby Alpaca’s brand of alt-pop is in style right now and for good reason, and the quintet’s own forays into the sound are solidly delivered and largely unoffensive to the ears. Following track ‘On the Roam’ is instrumentally simple, but incredibly effective vocally. It’s a toe-tapper for sure, and it provides good foundation for the band to build off in 2014.
‘Sea of Dreams’ sees Baby Alpaca concentrate their strengths and fire out an effort where the build-up is slow but the payoff is huge. Much of the track is a basic vocal and guitar partnership, but as piano and other elements are slowly dripfed into the equation the piece becomes easy listening at its most powerful. The first notes of ‘Run With You’, meanwhile, seem to set up a different kind of track, one that’s decisively more gung-ho than its preceding effort. In comparison to the rest of the EP this may be an apt description, but there is no denying that the New Yorkers are purveyors of a sound that begs more of a fervent swaying than any major outburst of energy. The electronic hand claps that seem to be trying so hard to sound genuine unfortunately end up distracting from the true strength of the track, but it’s a minor complaint at the end of a twenty minute EP that serves its purpose as a debut record masterfully.
It’s a sublime bit of musicianship and now Baby Alpaca have the attention of those around them, you would hope it can be onwards and upwards from here. The quintet have a sound that is in high demand right now, and the coming months will hopefully bring more attempts to capitalise on this. At this point, it’s hard to want anything but more from a band who have next year in the palms of their hands.
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