Brigitte Calls Me Baby

Brigitte Calls Me Baby

Brigitte Calls Me Baby are a Chicago-based group active since 2016. Their sound sits within jangle pop, new wave and post-punk, and they are also described as an American pop-rock band with indie rock and indie pop leanings. The group forms around Wes Leavins on vocals and songwriting, with Trevor Lynch and Jack Fluegel on guitars, Devin Wessels on keyboards, Zach Lentino on bass, and Jeremy Benshish on drums.

Formation and early releases

Leavins moves to Chicago in 2016 and joins with Fluegel, Lynch, Wessels and Benshish to form the band. Their first single, “Impressively Average,” appears in 2022. Leavins later takes part in recreating a series of Elvis Presley songs for Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film Elvis.

Debut EP and recording

The band’s debut EP, This House Is Made Of Corners, arrives in 2023 as a five-song release. It is made with producer Dave Cobb, who has won nine Grammy Awards, and is co-produced by Cobb and the band. The recordings take place at RCA Studio A in Nashville and are mostly cut live. The EP includes “The Future is Our Way Out,” “Impossibly Average” and “Eddie My Love.”

Style and influences

Their music combines mid-century pop romanticism with the energy and sharp edges of early-2000s indie rock. Leavins’ vocals are central to the group’s sound. His upbringing in Port Arthur, Southeast Texas, shapes his writing: he grows up hearing Roy Orbison records at his grandparents’ house, while his parents play new wave such as The Cars and his friends introduce him to Radiohead and The Strokes. He begins playing guitar and writing songs at 13, and develops the vocal style that becomes associated with the band.

Songwriting themes

Leavins describes the songs as direct and emotionally exposed, often dealing with fear, self-doubt and vulnerability. “The Future is Our Way Out” addresses fear of death and the hope of something beyond it. “Impossibly Average” is about coping with another person’s high expectations, while “Eddie My Love” becomes a song about obsession and despair.

Later activity

After a notable set at SXSW 2023, the band signs to ATO Records. Its full-length debut follows in 2024. The group continues with the same Chicago lineup centred on Leavins, Fluegel, Lynch, Wessels and Benshish.