Baths – Yeoman

Earlier in the year, LA-based Will Wiesenfeld, better known as Baths, composed the theme tune for the bizarre, bonkers yet brilliant game ‘Dream Daddy’ (where yes, you can romance your very own dream daddy). Perhaps you wouldn’t think that ‘Dream Daddy’ would be a springboard into what to expect from Baths on his follow-up to 2013’s ‘Obsidian’ and the ‘Ocean Death’ EP. Then again, Wiesenfeld says himself that he feels a deep emotional connection to anime, games, books and comics, which has fed into his new material: “I wanted to be honest with myself that this is where my heart lies and where I get the most emotion out of life”.

So the first taste we get from his upcoming new record ‘Romaplasm’ is ‘Yeoman’, a track that’s almost exactly like the “buoyant waltz” Wiesenfeld references in the lyrics. That short initial burst of portentous, stately brass is something of a red herring, an overture for what’s to come. ‘Yeoman’ is light to the touch, filled with bouncy, spring-like electronics, strings and glitchy, vintage elements that could have been taken from the sound board of a Sega Genesis.

Fittingly, it’s all accompanied by a sweeping tale that could have been plucked straight from an RPG. Even the first lines could have been spoken by a eagerly adventurous ‘Final Fantasy’ character: “Man it’s good to see you/ This must be the airship/ And are these your fellow crew”. From there we’re guided through romantic visions (“we’ll follow where the moons move”, “gliding in the dark on an endless sea”) that capture the spirit of embarking upon a relationship. It’s a dazzling slice of pop, emblazoned with a deep sense of grandeur.