Bayonne – Drastic Measures

When you’re watching a band and artist play on stage, it's all too easy to be swept up in the drama. Behind the performance though, there are humans grappling with the demands of touring schedules and life on the road. It was this inherent instability that became the central theme for the new album by Austin-based artist Roger Sellers, better known as Bayonne. Drastic Measures is an album where he often sings reflectively on being disoriented, losing touch with family and friends and the feeling of missing out on the special moments.

Yet this heavy-heartedness is depicted through the most fully-formed tracks that Sellers has produced to date. He has amplified the polyrhythmic, percussion-driven elements that his debut introduced and made them thoroughly panoramic in the process, dripping in vibrancy at every turn. The looped and stacked samples and intricate piano melodies combine in a perfectly balanced mix of organic and electronic, with so many textures that it’s easy to keep digging into.

Melodies soar and each track has its own memorable and unique elements; I Know is a particular highlight in this respect, showing off Sellers’ knack for crafting a solid pop hook. Drastic Measures is a firm step up from Primitives, and an album that continues to demonstrate the development of Sellers’ effervescent sonic world.

Listen to: I Know, Drastic Measures