- Lindsey French started her latest record in New York and finished it in Richmond, Virginia, under tragic circumstances. She returned to her hometown because her sister was murdered, and there's a mood shift from laidback to vulnerable about halfway through the EP. In both modes Bad Baby is an arresting blend of contemporary dance music and wistful indie pop that takes the featherweight trance of French's older work and moulds it into melancholic songcraft.
Vocals are central to French's music. On "Bad Baby" and "Infin Path" she uses wordless sighs to give her chord progressions a certain lilt, while "Infin Path," the EP's best song, is a breakbeat head rush that recalls Opus III's "It's A Fine Day." The jaunty house of "Bad Baby" is no slouch either, and it comes with an aching chorus that gets stuck in your head. The "Club Mix" is an alternate take that transforms it into a Radio 1-style banger with a hummable bassline and deft vocal chopping.
It's with "You Weren't There Anymore," which juxtaposes a pillowy Balearic feel with an emo-inspired vocal, that the EP takes a wistful turn. "Skydiver" is almost somber with its soft-focus synth organs, while the stark and elegant "My Innocence" ends the EP with gilded arpeggios and raw screaming that strains French's vocal cords. The influence of rock music—French namechecked artists like Weezer and Blink-182 in a recent interview—makes her music feel particularly fresh. She approaches dance music from an angle that feels more honest than trendy, putting the emphasis on emotion over rhythm. An EP that carries more weight than its breezy feel might first imply, Bad Baby is weightier than it might first appear, and an example of how dance music can help people through tough times.
Tracklist01. Infin Path
02. Bad Baby
03. You Weren't There Anymore
04. Skydiver
05. My Innocence
06. Bad Baby (Club Mix)