Haybaby - They Get There

Throwback 90s rock has been all of the rage lately. The re-emergence of 90s alt-rock, shoegaze, and alt-punk has come with highs and lows. Complimenting the past can prove difficult, and while bands like Speedy Ortiz can come off as Pavement-homaging punkers and do the 90s icons justice, but for every Speedy Ortiz there are a dozen imitators that flop. For Brooklyn’s Haybaby, their fondness of the past stopped with 2015’s Sleepy Kids.   

Pulling from a myriad of influences, Haybaby return four years removed from their debut with a record that pulls no punches. It hits like the best of them. “Total Bore” might deceive the casual listener, as it sounds like traditional alt-punk – it’s safe and Leslie Hong’s lyrics seem ripped right from the casual heartbreaking ballads of yesteryear. “Monster” kicks things up a notch, a progression They Get There implements well, as each successive track gets louder and more aggressive. “Witch Like Me” flips the formula – pummeling drums, gothic dripping guitars, and Hong’s guttural vocals indicate a new direction for Haybaby; it’s unexpected after the opening tracks, and it offers complete break from the traditional.

“Animosity” might be my favorite track by Haybaby since “Joke/Rope” in 2016. Making a reference to the band name, Hong sings about gooey heartbreak, but she’s not just spitting venom like many contemporaries, instead the band backs her with an almost jovial melody. They Get There benefits from its messiness too, whereas other acts who try to be all over the place get lost in their identity crisis approach. But with Haybaby, the erratic nature actually benefits their sound. There’s elements of sludge and noise-pop on They Get There, and even a sprinkle of Americana on “Empathy,” which also manages to bring back that snarling howl that makes “Witch Like Me” so enjoyable.

There Get There is a huge leap forward for Haybaby from their debut, it’s crunchy, aggressive, and above all exhilarating to listen to on full blast. It’s never content to just regurgitate the same sounds and melodies, instead being bombastic whenever it can. And while it doesn’t break new ground on any of the genres it borrows from, Haybaby don’t attempt to reinvent the wheel on any of them. They're perfectly happy just churning out aggressively enjoyable punk rock, which is never a bad thing.