Babe Rainbow: Found Just in the Nick of Time

photo by Maclay Heriot

As someone who might be a bit too obsessed with music, one of my greatest pleasures is coming across a band or artist that checks off so many boxes on my taste spectrum. Occasionally I will even find a band or artist that I enjoy so much that I end up diving head first into their entire discography, which then creates an accidental soundtrack for that period of time. My most recent find that I am just thrilled about is Babe Rainbow.

Now Babe Rainbow isn’t some new or secret band and I am sure some of you reading probably already know who they are. However, they are new to my world of music and boy am I bummed I didn’t come across them sooner.

Before we dig into my opinions about Babe Rainbow, let me tell you a little more about them and their background. Babe Rainbow, also know as The Babe Rainbow, is an Australian based psychedelic rock band from Byron Bay, New South Whales. The band was formed in 2014 and has since put out an EP along with three full-length albums: The Babe Rainbow, Double Rainbow, and Today. The band also has an album coming out later this month just in time for summer. Babe Rainbow also has worked with better known psychedelic rock band, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, as well as collaboration with Jaden Smith (yes, Will Smith’s son). Their genre can be described as psychedelic rock, surf rock, soft rock, or even psychedelic pop with a bit of Latin flair, all while radiating a 1960s sound.

Now let’s get into my opinions and what immediately lured me towards this band. I actually think I came across Babe Rainbow after seeing an Instagram account share one of their songs on their story where the band name and album art caught my attention. I looked up the band on Spotify and instantly became a fan. While I was listening to their songs, what really kept me hooked was their ability to keep surprising me with different sounds and vibes, while keeping a cohesive sound. For example, one moment I would just be vibing along to their music and would come across a song that would give me major Beatles vibes. Then the next song would end up dishing out a more chill, surfer type sound and then later slip into songs with more Zen-like sounds, all while keeping a nice flow and overall vibe. I have even heard subtle hints of a Van Morrison type of sound thrown in too. Their ability to finely incorporate these different sounds while still keeping it obvious that it was the same band was something that I found enjoyable.

Something else that indicates to me that I have really found a band or artist I genuinely enjoy is the ability of their music to go well to different types of listening scenarios. With them fitting into the psychedelic rock and soft rock genres, their music makes for perfect background music to any sort of mundane tasks such as working on the computer, tidying up around the house, or running errands. As for the surf rock side to their sound, they make for the perfect beach, pool or river music to really pull together a day by the water. And of course, their sound also makes for great driving music. Their homage to the 1960s is another aspect that gives them an automatic thumbs up for me since I am such a huge 1960s rock fan.

As for my reasoning for this blog title, found just in the nick of time, I truly found these guys at the perfect time. I am someone who easily becomes nostalgic with music and I really enjoy listening to a band or artist and then immediately being transported back to a time full of great memories. That being said, I can already see them becoming a major contributor to the soundtrack of my 2021 summer. This may sound a bit cheesy, but it almost seems as if the day that I found them was when the weather finally started to be consistently warm. With this pandemic still ongoing and the uncertainties of how that will affect this upcoming summer, I plan on just spending time outdoors, relaxing in the sun by whatever sort of water I can find and these guys will be the cherry on top.

photo by Carter Were

If you are looking for a new summer sound to really put you in the mood for the warm weather and sun kissed days, I highly recommend giving them a listen. Some good songs to start with to really introduce you to their sound would be Something New, Gladly, Peace Blossom Boogy, Johny Says Stay Cool, and Cool Cat Vibe. I am eagerly awaiting the new album release and will update on Instagram my thoughts on their new music once it is out. I cannot wait to see what else this group has to offer so definitely keep an eye out for that new album drop.

I hope you give Babe Rainbow a listen and enjoy my random music recommendations like these. Let me know your thoughts even if you have been a long time listener of theirs or just now discovering them.

Thanks for reading!