Baby Boys release their debut album, ‘Threesome,’ serving up a chaotically dazzling symphony of funky and fresh.

Stream: ‘Threesome’ – Baby Boys

Sound is difficult to master. It is powerful yet fickle, one decibel can make or break it all. Baby Boys explores this truth in their debut album, Threesome. The Minneapolis-based trio is composed of Caleb Hinz, Jake Luppen, and Nathan Stocker, longtime friends and musicians. The multi-instrumentalists embrace noise as an experiment on their debut album, their latest release since the 2019 EP I’m Set. The group bends these songs to their will, creating a spectacle of genre-bending, mind-boggling, head-bop-inducing music. Threesome is the product of creativity, playfulness, and friendship, as seen in the uniquely crafted songs featured on the release. Every song begins differently, a mix of hums and clicks, blended to perfection.

In true Baby Boys fashion, the listener is welcomed to their realm with a medley of sounds, weird and warm. Vocals are traded effortlessly, marked by Hinz’s deep hum, Stocker’s clear tone, and Luppen’s effortless falsetto. These signature details are sewn together with a delicate balance, where each song is strong enough to stand alone, yet finds a home in the whole. Take “Maggot Water” for example. The trio continues their string of unique titles with this track, as seen by their first ever single “Kinky Toe.” “Maggot Water” is more appealing than the name suggests. The boom of the percussion is inescapable, driving the song in a dynamic rhythm of ones and twos. The track is three minutes of push and pull, tension provided by the layering of voices as well as the harmonic fusion of instruments and carefully selected sounds. In the first two songs alone, a new and exciting mix is introduced. The boys bring us into their space, where they offer a part of them, ideas steeped in creative freedom.

The album provides a balance that defines the group. The album is composed of ten distinct songs, all featuring a different sound and different theme. Frankly, the range of the album stunned me. One minute I was swaying around my kitchen to the beat of “Bum Ving Gatti,” a tune that begins with an ’80s-pop style intro and progresses into an anarchic anthem of delightful gibberish. The next minute I was wistfully staring out the window, entranced by “Flower.” The melody dances around the major scale, pushing and pulling like the tide. The parallel structure between Stocker’s voice and the individual notes resonates safe and sound. Luppen enters the foreground with his graceful lull, singing “I see you faking because you come right back/Another failed attempt, another bad relapse” while Stocker confesses quietly, “I’m a flower dyed black and blue.”

Watch: “Maggot Water” – Baby Boys

Finally, the work ends with “Shorty,” recognizable for its structure. It begins bare, featuring voices over a simple beat. Suddenly, the exceptional Decarlo Jackson enters with a trumpet line that soars. The tempo picks up and drops off again quickly, leaving only a set of chords strummed by the guitar. With an ending as inventive as the rest of the album, Stocker buzzes over the speakers as the whispers drown out the sound. Every opportunity for exploration is seized, displaying the tricks Baby Boys has up their sleeve. There is a definite beginning and end, marked by perfectly curated transitions. Nothing feels rushed.

The release is a testament to innovation, demonstrating the chemistry between Hinz, Luppen, and Stocker as musicians. The three accomplish the impossible, copying and pasting the eccentric right next to the modest. Though you may expect cacophony, the result is a carefully brewed concoction. Baby Boys harness artistic freedom, careful hands wielding paintbrushes pointed at a blank canvas. You can hear the amount of thought that goes into their work, whether it be their metaphorical lyrics or their instrumental landscape. Make no mistake, Threesome is a banger.

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