Baths’ Haunting and Hypnotizing ‘phaedra’ [stream]

Baths, the beautiful project of Will Wiesenfield, has a knack for melding glitchy, tripped-out beats with poignant pop sensibilities and tight, springy vocal melodies. His new album, Obsidian, tackles deep and often philosophical subjects such as death, sickness, and suicide with extremely dark, earthy synths and beats. The resulting sound puts forth a vivid picture of human struggles and is a testament to Wiesenfield’s growth since his critically acclaimed 2010 album, Cerulean. “Phaedra”, a stand out track on the album, is the perfect embodiment of this musical style.

The song begins with a modest piano line over frantic drum hits that beat rapid fire beneath a more defined snare pattern. Stick hits, whirring white noise and a bass synth riff are added to the flurry, as Wiesenfield’s vocals croon softly about impending death and mortality. The song swells at times, often dropping certain aspects of the beat, then returns stronger and more refined with whimsical piano riffs, bells, dreamy chords, cymbals and chimes. The ebb and flow of this track is signature Baths’ songwriting — crafting beats that sway or sprint with dizzying grandeur in seemingly nonsensical patterns. “Phaedra” encapsulates many of the finer elements of Obsidian, but be sure to check out the album in entirety as well!