In the spotlight – Broken Baby

In the spotlight – Broken Baby are a band for punching the air and driving a little too fast. The band was formed by The Damnwells’ Alex Dezen and former actor and vocalist Amber Bollinger, who met at a film festival in Phoenix, Arizona around 2006. The duo started making music in 2017. They recently released their song ‘Beautiful Voices’ which can be found in our chart.

How did the band form?

“Broken Baby was born out of frustration and the hopelessness we were feeling in our livable that time. But of course, we always have just a little bit more hope left in us…so we did the dumbest and most fun thing we could think of. We wrote six songs, called it an EP, and just put them up on Bandcamp one day. We didn’t belabour it and it felt very spontaneous, which is a little different than how we do things now. We really had no intention of playing any of those first six songs live. But the songs were so fun we had to pick up a bass player and a drummer. So glad we did! Playing our songs to an audience is really where it’s at and it has helped shape our sound moving forward.”

What do you admire most about each other as people and as musicians?

“I think the thing we both admire about each other is our balance of lust for playfulness but at the same time getting down to business when we need to. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and hopefully that comes through in our music.”

Tell me about your journey with creating music. How did you get started, and was it something you always knew you wanted to do?

“Alex started out as a child actor – playing roles like Gavroche on Broadway in Les Miserable as well as Arty in Lost in Yonkers. I think he felt a pull into music shortly after that and left acting behind. He’s been playing guitar and writing songs ever since. Alex also plays in The Damnwells which has been reunited and are currently releasing new tunes!”

“Amber was always a singer by hobby in the car and in the shower before starting Broken Baby with Alex, so I guess this IS her first rodeo.”

What kind of music do you like to listen to?

“We like to listen to a variety of music. Sometimes it’s The Jesus Lizard, sometimes it’s Bowie, maybe some sprinkles of Cyndi Lauper or Pretenders, we always give love to the Jenny Lewis. Plus, we’re always seeking new flavours and right now it’s Lord Friday the 13th, Squid, Pom Poko, Big Bill, Ughh, Pissed Jeans, Reckling, and whatever our friends are putting out. We listen to a lot of music.”

What song would you say best describes your sound?

“Our sound varies, we think. We don’t stick to certain thing every time. Usually our most recent song release is the song that best describes our music and so therefore it’s ‘Beautiful Voices’.That’s us. Right now. Until further notice.”

I always ask bands about their song writing process. What can you tell me about yours?

“Our song writing process evolves and changes. Sometimes Alex starts with a riff or a groove and then we add in melody and then lyrics. Sometimes it starts with a song title and then we write a song around that. ‘Make Manager’ and ‘It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Hate It)’ and even ‘Beautiful Voices’ started out as titles or a statement and then we figure out what that would sound like in a song.”

“We’re a nice rush of adrenaline with a nice hug at the end. We wanna give your big brain a big kiss.”

For anyone reading this who does not know Broken Baby, why should they check you out?

“Why should anyone check out any new band?! I know most people are attached to their tried and true favorite so please keep your nostalgic 80s/90s/00s playlist, but leave a window open for new bands like us.”

“Did you know listening to new music is like exercise for the brain? It forces you to pay attention, stay focused, and hopefully experience something new and maybe we’ll remind you of something… requiring you to keep workin’ on that ol’ memory of yours. And instead of us telling you what we think we sound like, we’d rather you tell me what we remind you of. We’re a nice rush of adrenaline with a nice hug at the end. We wanna give your big brain a big kiss.”

Most memorable day as a band?

“Every show is an opportunity to connect to new people and also another chance to play with our friends. Max (bass player) and Garrett (drummer) are such great musicians and great hangs that it’s always a treat to play with those guys. Every show is our favourite show whether it’s a sold out show or only 20 people showed up.”

Do you have plans to release more new music soon?

“We are releasing a new song in about five weeks! And then we’ll release new music shortly after that until we’re bored. But we’re never bored. So expect new music from us forever.”

What’s your favourite song from the Cool Top 20 and why?

“What I love about the Cool Top 20 playlist is that it shines a light on all different genres and bands I didn’t know existed! I’m eally digging LOBSTERBOMB’s ‘Run’. I’m a sucker for fast and snotty and a bit lo-fi. This song feels like summer and I’m going to add it to my own playlist. Thanks for the suggestion!”

What song would you like to add as a bonus track?

“New Misphoria (from Tucson) with ‘Reflective. Why? Because it’s a two-piece band and they rip live and write really great songs and they’re the sweetest humans. This one is currently stuck in my head and I don’t care if it stays in there forever.”

More about Broken Baby: website, Linktree, Bandcamp, Instagram, Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify & YouTube.

All photos by Candace Whalen (@backwardzrakker)