Baby is a work of true labyrinthian design.
Through corridors of burning passion, walls are adorned with twangy metallic guitar and industrious, glitchy textures; with vines of rich gospel-esque ballads, nostalgic RnB and country cadences. Each song you find yourself somewhere new. Sonically twisting and winding, never sure where Dijon is taking you, but confident he will guide you through.
Four years since his last album, Dijon brings us a new chapter in his life, one steeped in learnedness, pain, love and growth. The mouth of the labyrinth begins with a pair of title tracks, ‘Baby!’ and ‘Another Baby!’, setting a thematic tone for the rest of the album: love, gratitude and reflection of new found life. Sonically, the tracks are driven by classic 80s-inspired synths, crashing drums and an almost Prince like timbre.
As you weave your way through, ‘(Freak it)’ reverberates and echoes, with beautiful, distorted guitars. You take your next left and arrive at the heart of the labyrinth. ‘Yamaha’, its writing painted in love, flows with embellishments of beautiful, nostalgic synths and crashy drums. ‘FIRE!’’s soft pianos preface its achy mood, quickly switching to loud, abrupt, but bouncy percussion. It’s as impassioned and as scorched as its name.
‘Rewind’ twinkles but stands robust, creeping from soft pensive acoustic guitar to peaks of coarse emotive layers of vocals. Taking our final turns, ‘Automatic’ entraps with a sample from GZA and Old Dirty Bastard, freestyling in 1991, and a coalescence of bright keys and deep drumming; paired with lusty lyrics that play like back and forth responses, like a dance between lovers.
Dijon’s artistry remains raw and enigmatic. His writing is coursed with deep valleys of emotion, cloaked in a firework display of vibrant production. While the labyrinth tests you with its unpredictable trajectory, it challenges you to rescind your own walls and be guided by its own. Baby flourishes in those intricacies, toying with your ears and mind. Emerging with the sultry and serene ‘Kindalove’: a rewarding close to a dynamic journey.
Words by badbitchbenny