Bakers Eddy Love Boredom Bicycles

Bakers Eddy’s debut album is the aural equivalent of Berocca—effervescent and buzzing with feel-good energy, yet unable to completely mask the previous night’s bruising hangover. The buzzsaw guitars of “Concertina”, “Peripheral Vision” and “Hi-Vis Baby” (the latter an ode to frontman Ciarann Babbington’s penchant for cycling) deliver the indie-rock sugar high, their crashing rhythms and sing-along melodies designed to make crowds move like jumping beans. That musical approach also propels “21”, but lyrically it’s tempered by a bittersweet rumination on life and growing older (“These days I’m a working man, I’ve got bills to pay, but still no life plans”); ageing raises its head again in “Sober”, Babbington asking, “Where will I be when I’m 25?” The upbeat guitar frenzy of “Drinking Mood” hides a darker message, with Babbington ruminating on depression that leads to drinking. The Melbourne-via-New Zealand quartet don’t, however, let reality get in the way of a good party, even though they know the comedown is just around the corner.