Bailen – SWIM!!!
Today, Beloved New York City trio BAILEN (comprised of Julia, and twin-brothers David and Daniel Bailen) have released their new album SWIM!!!.
The 10-track record marks the band’s first fully independent release and the start of their most self-assured chapter yet. Scrappy and self-reliant as ever, the siblings had a hand in every step of the album’s creation – from funding to the writing, producing, engineering and mixing. Earlier this summer, they previewed the album with the indie-rock anthem “SWIM!!!,” followed by the gorgeous americana-folk tinged “Kansas Tornado,” and most recently the kaleidoscopic, psychedelic dream-pop single “Send Me Off.” Across it all, SWIM!!! balances intense emotion with tender wit, never letting the tide take it away.
Today’s release also comes with a video for the swaggering focus track “Eve Babitz.”
Produced with Lorde collaborator Devin Hoffman, the track is an infectious, hard-hitting pop-rock song that pulls at the line between admiration and obsession. Julia wrote the song after reading Eve Babitz’s novel “Sex & Rage,” which captures the platonic ideal of a Hollywood It girl of the 70s. After reading it, Julia couldn’t untangle whether her feelings for Babitz were envy or desire. As Julia puts it, “It’s kind of a gay panic song for your typical literary girl.”
The video mirrors that ‘70s glamour, following Julia Bailen along as she channels the iconic It girl. The band took inspiration from the ephemera in Eve Babitz’s estate, in particular her many photo booth strips and the photos of her playing chess with Marcel Duchamp, she a young woman completely naked, he an old man in a suit. The band built a photo booth set in their director Celine Sutter’s apartment and shot all of the music video there.
Spanning 10 distinct songs, Bailen’s collaborative chemistry shines through a mix of genres and influences that create a sound that’s quintessentially theirs. “We’re related, but our voices are pretty distinct as singers and as writers,” David says. “We pull from our individual and shared experiences growing up together and we blend it together in harmony in a unique way. That is BAILEN.”
BAILEN will celebrate the album’s release on the road as their SWIM!!! At Your Own Risk Tour continues this fall, with upcoming stops in Denver, Brooklyn, Boston, Washington, DC, Nashville, and more.
SWIM!!! At Your Own Risk Tour Dates
10/3 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
10/17 – Marlboro, NY – The Falcon
11/11 – Brooklyn, NY – National Sawdust
11/13 – Boston, MA – Cafe 939
11/14 – Amherst, MA – The Drake
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
11/18 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis
11/20 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
11/21 – Nashville, TN – The Basement
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