BAKED are thrilled to share their upcoming album Farnham in full! Once again proving to be unpredictable, Baked embrace dusty country, fuzzy slacker punk, distorted classic rock, and shoegaze, swirling it altogether into their own nuanced guitar shredding bliss. Due out February 24th, Farnham is a masterwork of hazy ballads, blistering riffs, thick haze, and slow burning rock ‘n’ roll.
Consequence of Sound mag, who premiered the LP, shared:
“The 12-track effort dips into proto-punk (“‘You Know San Francisco, Don’t You?’”), swirling shoegaze (“Stuck at Iron Mountain”), and even outlaw country balladry (“Two-Thousandths”). Sometimes it all happens at once, as on the standout “Stay”. Whatever genre they’re messing around in, though, they do it with an unhurried care that allows the heavy layers of sound to build atop each other without collapsing under the weight.”
Photo by Amanda Leethal
BAKED will celebrate their album release show this Thursday (February 23rd) in addition to an official slot at this year’s SXSW. All details can be found below.
02/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium w/ Grass Is Green, Honduras & Hound
03/16 – Austin, TX @ The Velveeta Room (Exploding In Sound Records SXSW Showcase)
More about the band:
It would be safe to call Baked veterans of Brooklyn’s DIY scene. They’ve ran their own show space (Big Snow), they’ve worked for years at Shea Stadium, and they’ve spent time touring and playing in bands like Titus Andronicus, Lost Boy ?, Bueno, and more. Their focus however… remains forever Baked. It’s been a lengthy two and a half years since their full length debut but the perennially foggy quintet has returned with a new line-up and a new record, Farnham. The wait is over and Baked are “lit” in every sense. RJ Gordon (vocals/guitar), Isabella Mingione (vocals/keys), and Jeremy Aquilino (bass) are joined by Steve Hartlett (guitar) and AJ Pantaleo (drums), rounding out the band while adding their own unique sonic input. Baked like to play loud yet calm, moseying their way into swarming riffs because not everything needs to be rushed. Fried and blustery, Baked play it cool as the peel through outlaw country ballads, soul inspired pop, and jittery punk, blending genres with the greatest of ease and good senses. The bar has been raised, Baked are ready to rip. Heavier, sultrier, more dynamic, and out right riskier, nothing is off limits on Farnham and Baked sound more alive than ever.
Farnham, due out February 24th via Exploding In Sound Records, is a record that is very much indebted to changes. Changes that come from loss and those that come from living life. It’s an album dedicated to a lost friend (Ken Farnham, the record’s namesake) but it’s also an album of a band that has experienced it’s own changes in members since their debut. It’s also the first album they’ve released since Baked’s lead songwriter RJ Gordon joined Titus Andronicus… which is all to say, change weighs heavy. Baked remain forever true to their own vision but they’re adapting and evolving as a collective, opting to recline a little deeper, push a little further, and create the best version of themselves they can muster up. Sure the band still like to get, well, baked… but their sophomore album is mature and fully realized, a reflective record that comes from the band’s heart. Speaking about the album’s title and themes in a recent interview, Gordon (vocals/guitar) shared:
“Farnham is the last name of a friend of mine (Ken) who passed away some years back. We were close friends and roomates back when we were freshman and sophomores in college at SUNY Purchase. Back in 2008/2009 he was diagnosed with brain cancer at a young age. We would go to visit him in his hometown (Tonawanda, NY) and try to keep up as much as possible. He was a talented artist and made a print 8 or 9 years ago that became the two dead mice on the cover of the album. Also the droopy monster face on the liner notes. He was a very very talented artist and I wanted to pay homage to his work and his name with the record. A lot of the record has songs that I wrote originally during and after that tough time and it felt right to pay a little tribute to him.”
