By Jamie Wolfert

Bayou is a 5-piece....uhhhh, I guess we'll call them an “indie rock”
band....out of Melbourne, Australia.  I hesitate to brand them with the
generic, overused “indie” tag, but I reckon that's how most people will think of them.
I'll roll with it for now. More important than my rock terminology
quibbles is the fact that Bayou has released a very compelling self-titled
debut EP earlier this year, and it is well worth your time and bandwidth.

There are many, many bands of varying quality all over the globe plying in
verdant, atmospheric indie rock, but where Bayou has distinguished
themselves is in their blend of the sweet (but not “twee”, thank god) and
the foreboding. This duality works well for me on the first half of the
4-song Bayou EP, where a warm wave of velvety female vocals collides with
sparse rhythms and the restrained, jagged aggression of the twin guitars.
The song “Get Got” exemplifies this best. The second half of the EP lacks
this striking sonic dichotomy, and while still lovely, is notably less
interesting for it. Bayou's guitarist, Reuben, mentioned to me in an email
that their sound has changed since this record was released, leaning much
heavier towards the rattle-and-buzz, Jesus And Mary Chain moments of the
first two songs, so I'm guessing they would agree with my assessment.

Bayou's debut EP is a gripping listen, and I'm excited to hear where this
band goes from here. They seem to have a keen ear for what's unique about
their sound, and a desire to find their own voice and transcend the
breathy din of indie rock sameness. Those are all good signs. The Bayou EP
is available over at Bayou's bandcamp page for the very generous price of
whatever-the-hell-you-feel-like-paying-for-it. Give these guys a few
shekels, eh. They do good work.

http://bayou.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/bayouband