Track By Track: Babe on Volery Flighty

Babe aren’t your usual new band. Their wonderful blend of electronic textures and jangling guitars, fronted by the acrobatic vocal qualities of a stray Wild Beast, are fresh and bracing in their excitement. One of them even uses the word “brouhaha”, so top marks for that.

And we’re not the only ones to be wow-ed by their debut record, Volery Flighty – written and recorded somewhere between Glasgow and Bordeaux between touring stints with Francois and the Atlas Mountains, the band that features two of the “babes”, with its release today on Moshi Moshi Records, and its supporting cast including CHVRCHES’s singer Lauren Mayberry. Give the record a spin for yourself through the below stream, and read the words of the band about the making of the record.

“Dot and Carry One”

Out with old and in with the new. This song was initially supposed to sound like the Cocteau Twins but thankfully Michael said “you can’t do that” and it got pulled in a thousand different directions.

“Aerialist Barbette”

The Aerialist Barbette shocked audiences by performing as a woman and revealing himself to be male at the end of the show. 1920s Paris. The first Babe song. Tom and his guitar were feeling jazzy.

“Grotto”

Most of the songs on this album were written on beat-up, upright piano acquired from the Salvation Army for £50. Here, you can hear it in its honky tonk glory. For the musos – we’re using the “Scottish time signature”, 6/8.

“Trip Wire”

This is us trying to fit in with Amaury and his French pals. The first time I ever went to France we sang along to MJ’s “Rock With You” on an acoustic guitar and drank 1664 by a river. And the sun was out. Michael and I recreated this feeling in his childhood bedroom on a dark winter night in freezing Fife.

“Bx Betweenwhiles”

We put this album together while I was based in Bordeaux and touring with Francois and the Atlas Mountains. So recording, production and mixing sessions were infrequent and sometimes in the most improbable conditions.

“Falling in the Apples”

“Je suis tombé dans les pommes” literally means “I have fallen in the apples”, and is used to signify a loss of consciousness. Passing out never seemed so delightful!

“Tilt”

Trying to encourage everyone (including myself) to be more bold and daring. Besides, better being blithe, right? Also an excuse to put the word “brouhaha” into a song.

“Great Coat”

Michael recorded the acoustic guitar part with a cold and you can hear him sniffing in the background. Albums are too polished these days, it’s impossible to hear any character. We left the background noise in because Babes be ballin’!

“Volery Flighty”

Watch me, Volery Flighty, because we all want to be loved, isn’t it?

“Oft”

“Oft” is about getting a second wind of motivation in the early hours of the morning. It was written when I was living on the ground floor of a Glasgow tenement, right next door to a pub. People could easily look in my window and I would have no idea.

“Purl”

I’m looking for you, not experience.

“Bronco”

Ending on a happy note, “Bronco” was the last song to be completed on the album. The final section felt good so we decided to fade it out to give the impression that it could go on forever…

Babe play a free entry show at the Waiting Room tonight (March 10). Volery Flighty is released today on Moshi Moshi Records.