EARMILK: Babygirl's dreamy sounds are the perfect nostalgic soundtrack [Interview]
Babygirl, the duo comprised of Kiki Frances and Cameron Breithaupt, has been making a name for themselves, their dreamy indie pop songs have been circulating everywhere.
The duo met in college, and after realizing their similar music taste, they decided to team up, originally to pitch songs to other artists, but they quickly realized they wanted to do their own thing. The name came from Frances's "fake band" she had at an after-school program, "Babygirl" was born, and they found their calling and their signature sound. Their latest EP, 'Be Still My Heart,' follows the path they've paved with ethereal vocals and the kind of gentle production that feels raw and authentic.
The source of inspiration for their new EP is simple and effective: it's about good songs. Breithaupt says, "Marshall Vore, who we had the pleasure of working with on our last DP one time, tweeted this phrase, 'A concept album where the concept is that the songs are good.' I think of it all the time."
The duo is a songwriting machine, but they're selective, and they know each song has to hit correctly. "If we're finishing a song, it's because we know that we love it and are most likely going to want to put it out," Frances explains, "Sometimes you write something, and you're excited about it for like a day or two, and then you're just kind of like, 'Ah. I'm already bored of that.' Then sometimes you write something, and then three months later, you're still thinking about it."
Their selection is the perfect palette, "Starlight" is effervescent and light, the perfect lead-in. "Always" takes some inspiration from Hilary Duff's iconic "So Yesterday," giving it a hint of nostalgia. "You never know how it's going to start," Breithaupt said, "We really want to use this drum groove, and then we ended up writing one of our favorites with some co-writers."
"Sore Eyes" is an instant classic in their catalog, combining everything they excel at, the vocals, the soft lilting melodies, and the lyrics that stick with you like, "I felt like a pool drained on the last day of summer, so lonely to sing leads when your band needs a drummer." It sums up the Babygirl style so well. In the closing ballad, "Born With A Broken Heart," Frances sings, "It's almost like I'm built to fall apart," over nothing but gentle guitar strumming, the perfect ending to the story they've crafted.
It feels like the soundtrack to a movie; when I ask them what that movie would be, Breithaupt says, "When two people that want to be together are being kept apart by opposing forces. Because I feel like a lot of the songs are kind of about that feeling. Romeo and Juliet are the star-crossed lovers, I like that, but maybe it would be like that Amanda Bynes movie that's based on Shakespeare." She's The Man," Frances responds quickly before they both burst into laughter. It's true; it is giving off that kind of 2000s rom-com energy based on classic literature. It's setting a narrative that feels poetic but still young and angsty.
That's the beautiful thing about Babygirl, each song feels so thoughtfully designed, they're intentional, and in a music climate where musicians feel the pressure to work release after release at lightning speed, they find the perfect balance.
Frances says, "I think that, in general, we really value really loving each piece of music we make and having it feel like the quality is always there. I think that right now, in order to stay in people's minds, you kind of have to be constantly present, and that can sometimes, I feel, lead to people maybe putting out music really quickly that maybe isn't all the way fleshed out. And sometimes that can be cool, but sometimes I think it can harm the quality of the music." Babygirl knows when to let a project breathe and not compromise the integrity of their creative statements.
Even in a world where everyone is an artist, and it feels like everyone is competing for ears, Babygirl knows that what they're doing is their calling.
Frances says, "I definitely have low periods where I just don't really feel creative or connected to anything or anyone. But then I also generally feel like I've had this thing inside my brain or heart or soul, wherever it lives, which is just like, I need to make music. And even when it hurts, and even there are moments where it feels really beautiful and moments where it feels painful, I just crave to hear songs that don't exist, and I have to make them exist."
It's clear that Babygirl's music has found the right audience. At their show at The Echo in Los Angeles, fans danced to their sweet ballads and swayed to their melodies in unison. It felt like a transportive experience into their world.
"There's no backup plan, and that expression of using fear as a tailwind rather than as a headwind, I know I have to go all in on it," Breithaupt explained, "So that's very motivating being like, well, this is it. This is it. This is what I'm doing. Come hell or high water. I'm going to persist and try that fear as a motivating force."
