Bas Jan - Baby U Know (2022)

Whimsical, humorous, profound, inventive, silly, ephemeral, ethereal – all this and more in the latest LP by the band featuring Serafina Steer and co with talky-singing internal monologues about everything from sex to politics and social media. Unashamedly lo-fi and eccentric, mixing bass, vocals, percussion, synths and occasional fiddle and woodwind, and a gentler throwback to The Slits, it’s a charming and sometimes ramshackle new collection of softly softly post-punk, across which there’s a running theme of note-to-self-must-pull-my-socks-up. Standouts include the politically conscious Progressive Causes and Vision of Change, an address, to a partner about whether being polyamorous or polygamous really works (Sex Cult), the slow, chant-whispery offbeat love song You Have Bewitched Me, Shopping In A New City, the title track, and the comical self-distraction final number Profile Picture. Out on Lost Map Records.