The sun was beaming through scratched windows of the upstairs of a double-decker bus and my skin warmed as I overlooked Broadway - no, not the New York one… the Newmarket one, unfortunately. I started to recall memories of what life in Tamaki Makaurau was like only a few weeks back - for me, it consisted of living in a flat so cold that you could see your breath as you spoke to flatmates over the table at breakfast. I started to appreciate the temperature rise and heartily welcomed spring.

After placing noise cancelling earphones in to escape the atmos of Auckland CBD, I pressed play on

Senescence, BAYNK’s newest release, and I was transformed into a different world. The first aspect of Senescence that caught my eye was the album cover, which is filled with intriguing greyscale symbols, a noticeable shift from the vivid cover of Adolescence, which was BAYNK’s last album released in 2022, which gained Grammy nomination.

The prelude of the new album, Inches (Prelude), was a short track made up of lots of different electronic sounds. I could hear a faraway voice of a singer, and what sounded like water droplets, along with a mixture of other electronic noises. The track made me feel a little disorientated, but also left me feeling curious and excited as to what was coming next - overall, a great introductory song which achieved the goal of leaving the listener hooked.

The second song, Fool For You, had a calming backing track to begin with, which became contrasted by the heavily edited, moody voice of the singer, and the fierce noise of drums. Although contrasting, all the components complemented each other and created a unique, artistic music approach. I started to think how BAYNK’s outlook on music is rather alternative, which is what makes it stand out in the Aotearoa music scene, possibly a result of BAYNK’s time spent away from Aotearoa, now London-based.

Then came Blood, which again had an easing backing track, but instead of a contrasting voice, the singing in this track matched the calming energy the backing track portrayed. But there was still some contrast as the sound of drums continued, which again caused no listener issues and gave the song a dose of energy, despite the singing being rather slow. To finish, Blood ended with a pleasant guitar melody.

Next, it was time for Feel, which made me feel something. As soon as Feel filled my ears, my focus became more evident, as the song was infused with energy and outran the previous songs. After the first 14 seconds, I was introduced to a lively beat, which added vibrancy to the already energetic song. The component I enjoyed the most was the approach to singing, as the singer sounded noticeably more upbeat compared to the previous songs. This was great timing for me as the warm weather along with this energy-filled song accurately reflected my positive outlook on the day ahead. As my bus approached the hustle and bustle of rush hour in Grafton on a weekday morning, Feel reached the midpoint, and I wanted to get up and start dancing.

Slowing it down came Grin, the fifth song of the album, attracting over 455K views on YouTube. Grin was probably my favourite of them all. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as it made me feel relaxed and content. It got me thinking about nature, and it played as I overlooked the Symonds Street Cemetery, which I must point out looks noticeably cleaner and now looks like a place where nature can thrive again.

The sixth song, Mr. Jocko, was an interesting one. The name most possibly reflects BAYNK’s non-professional name, Jock Nowell-Usticke. The song begins with the voices of women and children talking in another language, I want to guess an African language. I was then introduced to a clapping beat, followed by a voice singing "Mr. Jocko”, which was followed by a crowd of voices singing. Mr. Jocko was very upbeat and made me imagine I was dancing around a campfire somewhere in Africa.

Older came next, and had a calm yet energetic feel, something I’ve discovered BAYNK can successfully put across in a song without it all sounding too much. Towards the end of Older, it turned into a bit of a dance song, with some fun beats added into the mix - a nice combination of indie and dance music.

Continuing with the dance approach, the eighth song What Am I Going To Do With You had me moving my shoulders from side to side during the introduction. BAYNK once again had me wanting to get up and dance. BAYNK then slowed it down, with soft singing and a slower beat placed underneath. But it wasn’t long till the song had me wanting to dance again, with the beat picking back up shortly after.

When I Think About Us, the ninth song, sent me into a world of nostalgia. And the closing song, Lonely World concluded the album well, with another indie dance ending, and with the powerful last words of “I hope you feel it too.”

To listen to the full album, click here, and if you have the time, you should check out BAYNK’s accompanying music videos, which intersect art and music, just like the songs do. The new album was a great bus ride listen. On an end note: Feel is stuck in my head as I'm walking through the central streets… The result of a successful catchy song. Well done BAYNK.

• 1
  Outside In
• 2
  Head Like A Hole
• 3
  Horror Story
• 4
  Fraser Ross
• 5
  Fur Patrol
• 6
  Michelle Rounds
• 7
  L.A.B.
• 8
  The Boondocks
• 9
  Us As Robots
• 10
  Springloader

• 
  Fly My Pretties @ Great Hall, Massey University, Wellington - 19/10/2024
• 
  Jon Toogood @ Totara St, Mount Maunganui - 19/10/2024
• 
  Jazmine Mary @ Totara St, Mount Maunganui - 19/10/2024
• 
  Mel Parsons @ Moons, Dunedin - 18/10/2024

• 1
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 2
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 3
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 4
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 5
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 6
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 7
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 8
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan
• 9
  SAILOR SONG
  Gigi Perez
• 10
  TOO SWEET
  Hozier

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