Review: Batty Jr., Do A U E!

Originally posted on the Austin Chronicle’s website. Read here

Indie folk group pairs happy-go-lucky sound with bittersweet lyrics

Riding off the five-year high from their 2018 project Wormholes, indie folk band Batty Jr. comes through with cartoonish sounds and wistfully whimsical songwriting on second album Do A U E!. Zeke Jarmon, songwriter and lead singer, turns up the group’s already animated rock nature with silly vocal inflections and bittersweet, melancholic lyrics. With off-the-beaten-path instrumentals from bassist Ry Black, cellist Sadie Wolfe (Wild Child), and drummer Daniel Coborn (Ringo Deathstarr), Batty Jr. invites listeners to enter the playpen. Quirky album opener “Fool For You” starts off with delusional devotion to a lover. In a beseeching tone, Jarmon repeats the line, “I'm such a fool for you, and everything you do,” with spirited vocal accompaniment and beautiful cello from Wolfe. Though short on lyrics, the song’s rich-yet-minimal harmonies masterfully weave themselves through the tracktime, with long periods of melodious instrumentals interspersed. With slightly more to say, “Lazy Bones” perfectly encapsulates the clashing thematics in lyrics and music that Batty Jr. does so well. Contrasting with a happy-go-lucky sound, the darker lines (“Lazy in my bones everyday/ Drugs in my blood most every night”) sneak up on you. With a folky-yet-fanciful attitude, Do A U E! becomes a serious album with deeply unserious musical motifs.

Batty Jr.
Do A U E! (Earth Libraries)