Portsmouth-based sister duo Baby Said have just released their debut EP, Who Gives A Rock. The Punjabi/Italian sisters, teenagers Veronica and Jess Pal to be specific, offer a fiery blast of pop rock energy reminiscent of Paramore, Olivia Rodrigo, and their favorite act Måneskin, from who they borrowed their namesake. Rock comes and goes quickly at just nine minutes, but it’s full of chunky power chord guitars, bombastic drum energy, and a particular limelight on the duo’s feisty vocals.
A grungy bass guitar plucks out the initial notes of standout single “Panic Attack.” Ghostly effects help to give this a mysterious beginning before launching into one of the catchiest moments on the EP. The sisters lay into dramatic effect as they audibly gasp before the chorus, giving a tangible flavor to what it truly feels like to have a panic attack. Moreover, the song itself crescendos purposely, as they tried their best to embody the low energy/high energy emotions that accompany such an attack. The duo follows it up with the peppy and sassy “Mouth Shut” – at a brisk 2:15, the bouncy rhythms and catchy melodies here make this one of the standout moments on Rock, and gets our vote for album favorite.
“You Killed It” starts out with a menacing laugh before introducing more, tasty alt rock to sink your teeth into. Even at such a young age, this song showcases the duo’s ability to think on their feet as musicians and songwriters – see the story below:
“This song came completely from scratch during our time in Wales, working with Gethin Pearson. As soon as we got there, we were thrown straight into the deep end; Gethin handed us a piece of paper each and told us to write anything we wanted down while he left the room. When it came to sharing ideas, we were both quite nervous as this was the first time we had tried this method, but very soon the lyrics of our new single ‘You killed it’ started to fall into place.”
The EP closes with “Fight,” a rollicking rock and roll offering that truly lives up to the EP’s name. A grimy, garage-inspired riff reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys gives way to an angular verse – soon, the sisters launch into a one-two punch of a chorus. This particular track is rooted in a real story – Baby Said have grown from a busking act to a full-fledged act (rounded out by fellow band members Holly Knowles and Maddie Hackett) who have fought through criticism and critical male stares to prove their right to own the stage. Lyrics like “we’re just gonna roll our eyes,” and “we don’t run from a fight” embody the punky spirit of the music here, while the non-fictional aspect of the song gives the emotional delivery some real gravitas.
Who Gives A Rock is out now. Check it out on Spotify or Apple Music, or, find all their most recent updates via this helpful Linktree link. Also, be sure to check out the helpful graphic of their upcoming tour dates below:
