Purchase digital copies on Bandcamp.

Self-released on all platforms on July 25th.

Like all the best passion projects, Disparate Parts is inconsistent. 2024 was an odd year in my life. I dove headfirst into being a parent, ended the most important band I’ve ever been a part of, and moved my family across the country to Central Washington, hence why you haven’t seen anything on this site since April of 2024. But, alas, we’re back and with something a bit different.

Part of my waning motivation to juggle this site with all of the other things going on in my life was its limited scope. Yes, I love heavy music, but it’s not the only music I listen to. I fell into a deep slowcore and ’90s indie/post-hardcore hole for nearly half a year, and I lamented that I couldn’t write about it here. You’ll notice I changed the tagline for the site to state that this is a space for “weird music for weird people,” which basically means I’m writing about whatever I like. It’s my website, after all.

With self-imposed constraints cast aside, let’s jump into Stuck, the new four track EP by my longtime friends back in Louisiana. Baby in the 90s has been a staple of the Baton Rouge indie/emo scene for nearly a decade at this point with their turn-on-a-dime feel changes and earworm melodies, and they’ve acted as DIY ambassadors for the scene to touring acts via booking at nearly every venue in the city. They’re a band I know intimately; I’ve toured with them and seen them perform innumerable times. In case you’re the impatient type, I’ll give you the TL;DR from this longtime admirer now. Stuck is Baby in the 90s at their most aesthetically focused and, to my taste, their best.

Right out of the gate, “12th South” lets you know that Stuck will be a bit different than previous Baby in the 90s efforts. Vocalist and songwriter Mookie Darden’s voice is pushed well past its usual controlled timbre just 20 seconds into the track, and, when coupled with the beefiest chorus instrumentation in their catalog, the result is arguably the most aggressive thing Baby in the 90s has ever recorded. This isn’t to say Baby in the 90s ditched the partner that brought them to the dance on this track, the rhythm section of Jeremiah Wilson and Reed Dunaway still throw listeners for a loop with their dramatic dynamic and feel shifts and lead guitarist Genna Paine still slinks around chords throughout, but the extra grit in their sound is a new wrinkle.

“Curtains Closed” is an indie rock guitar showcase. Paine’s guitar never stops dancing around the harmonic foundation laid by Wilson and Darden, and there is an honest to god guitar solo over the bridge, which I certainly didn’t expect. To me, it reads as a call back to the best impulses of 2000’s indie rock. It took me a couple of passes to stop focusing on the lead and appreciate the rhythmic variations Dunaway and Wilson slip into the second verse and how well Darden’s voice fills the space between hits in the chorus.

I have a complicated relationship with my home state, and I generally dislike any glorification or metaphorical use of its environment. With this in mind, I expected to find “Swamp Fairy” a bit cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love the use of acoustic guitar 30 seconds in to the track. It added a texture I didn’t expect and, when coupled with the first pass of the harmonic progression of the chorus, gives the track a slight sinister quality. This tonal tension builds throughout the track, culminating in outright dissonance, a pretty bold choice for a band known for its infinitely hummable melodies.

If you’ve read my other reviews, you know I thoroughly enjoy when a release’s final song feels like a thesis, and “The Source” fits the bill perfectly. Baby in the 90s gives us strong melodies, rhythmically interesting verses, and leads that wind through it all, but the thing that pulls it all together into a final thought for the EP is the intensity. Wilson’s bass is usually smooth as butter, but we get some downright dirty bass tones. In the second verse, Darden’s voice is produced in a way that calls back to 90s indie rock with how naked it is, and I loved the shift. This is all before the group treats us to a muscular half time outro that would make Cope-era Manchester Orchestra blush. This tight, less than 13 minute EP goes out with a wall of distorted guitars, not something I ever would have anticipated from Baby in the 90s.

I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t expect a band I’ve known as long as Baby in the 90s to surprise me, yet here I am. For an indie release, Stuck has teeth, and I, for one, welcome its bite.

Stream Stuck and purchase the EP on Bandcamp.

For fans of: Strong melodies, weaving guitar leads, and a dynamic rhythm section

Perfect for: Walking to sweaty DIY house shows

Favorite Track: “The Source”

Rating: 9.5/10