Bathe - I'll Miss You

Bathe
I'll Miss You
2019
Spotify

I'll Miss You is New York based duo bathe's first record and finds them ruminating on the sounds and feelings for the summer. Producer Corey Smith-West teams up with singer Devin Hobdy to create this atmospheric and syrupy album. You get major dvsn vibes from this duo but instead of diving into the more trappy sounds Bathe have this effervescent feel to them. It's almost like dvsn meets Blood Orange, which if you know either of those artists you can tell clearly Bathe might be on the right track. This album feels so breezy and light while still having some really great instrumentation. With Trap's invasion of all things R&B it seems like such a novelty to hear a song that isn't soaked in it's lethargy. Trap leaves little room for introspection and even less for effortlessness. This album however just sort of rolls out, each new layer of music feeling perfectly placed. On the album's title track the final segment has a saxophone that just sort of comes out of no where but feels like it was always meant to be right where it is. The record is at only 16 minutes incredibly short. It feels almost cut off the way it just ends after the 7th track, leaving you wondering what could have or should have been. While you get the notes of summer throughout the album there is not really a firm punch to any of it, no lines that stick out or stay with you after the album is over.

So much of this record is spent living in the vibe that it never really gets to the point. There is one song "Caught Up" which is only 28 seconds long. It doesn't feel like an intro or an outro, in fact ti just feels like it was stuck in there for no reason. The song after it "Sure Shot" employs some of the same guitar tones, but doesn't feel similar enough for "Caught Up" to make sense. Bathe feel almost a bit lost in their own heads, lingering just a bit to long on one idea or another. I'll Miss You does however paint a really pretty bpicture and one that Bathe can certainly build on. There are wonderful things throughout this record and with the right prodcution and editing they could really become something special.

7.0 out of 10