Brigitte Calls Me Baby - The Future Is Our Way Out

Brigitte Calls Me Baby's debut 'The Future Is Our Way Out' is a love letter to the past written in neon lights, a collection of songs that sound like they were beamed in from a 1960s jukebox but speak to the anxieties of the present day. Frontman Wes Leavins croons like a young Morrissey (without the bad bits) raised on a strict diet of Roy Orbison records, his voice dripping with both romanticism and existential dread.

'Impressively Average' showcases their knack for self-deprecating anthems. It's the kind of song that makes you want to raise a lighter in the air while simultaneously questioning all your life choices. However, as the album progresses those thematic callbacks don't really feel to be doing much we've not heard before, with some tracks blending into one another in a haze of retro-tinged melancholy.

While it's not all retro pastiche, the attempts at diversity don't always land. 'We Were Never Alone' veers into darker territory, its synth-heavy soundscape and spectral guitar lines evoking the moodier side of Depeche Mode with the anthemic heft of The Killers. When it works, it really works. When the spark doesn't catch light, though, it's simply alright.

'The Future Is Our Way Out' is an album caught between eras, much like its creators. It's a record that makes you want to slow dance at prom and pogo at a punk show, often within the same song. Brigitte Calls Me Baby have crafted a debut that feels both timeless and timely, but sometimes struggles to find its own identity amidst its myriad influences. While it's a reminder that sometimes the best way to navigate an uncertain future is to take a page from the past, the band occasionally forgets to add enough of their own voice to the conversation.