Item: Total Babes - Heydays
Rating: 4

Reviewer: Ali Shutler

Released: 18th May 2015

Label: Wichita

“We’re going to take our time, ignore the signs,” promise Total Babes at the opening of ‘Blurred Time’. Four years on from their debut ‘Swimming Through Sunlight’ and the Ohio quartet finally return with a follow-up in the shape of ‘Heydays’.

Glistening with barbed hooks hidden under scuzzy exuberance and the occasional saxophone-led breakdown, courtesy of Cloud Nothings’ Dylan Baldi, ‘Heydays’’ eight tracks may toe the line between album and EP but in terms of distance covered, the record is a full-length adventure.

‘Blurred Time’ is the chattering shot that gets things underway but it’s the title track that sets the pace, lashing together vocal cries and heady instrumentals as participants in a jostling three-legged race. A persistent groove wrestles with the rich lyrics, settling into an uneasy yet potent partnership that drives the record forward with alarming pace.

From the glorious free spirit of ‘Bone Dry Eyes’ to the brassy stomp of ‘Circling’, Total Babes crash off the beaten track and into claustrophobic parts unknown. It isn’t until the inhale of ‘Sunny Side’, a delicate moment of instrumental calm and change, that the band stop for breath. As the luxurious kick of ‘Repeat Gold’ winks at the horizon, you’re gifted one chance to take in the beauty that Total Babes longed for on ‘Blurred Time’.

As the uptempo skip of ‘Can I Turn You On’ comes into view, signalling the journeys end in a blast of snotty abandon, Total Babes are right back where they started, arm extended and the offer of another ride dancing on their tongue. Streamlined and with every moment as vital as the next yet playful and curious, ‘Heydays’ manages to craft a new path from a well-travelled landscape. Ignoring the signs has never resulted in so much glorious direction. That’ll do pig, that’ll do.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, Total Babes, Wichita