Written by Brandon George
“Take the Corners Gently,” the third studio album from actor, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dre Babinski’s indie-pop project Steady Holiday, is her best and most emotionally evocative work yet. Self-released February 12th from her backyard, the album dances from gentle pianos to jaunty synths while Babinski takes us on a journey of self-discovery.
From the onset of “White Walls,” Babinski’s clear, staccato voice wafts above a lazily bouncing piano line while synths swirl about. The record’s tone induces images of abandoned auditoriums with lonesome disco balls spinning for a solitary audience.
Babinksi’s gentle tones and the simmering synths shouldn’t be taken for docility, however, as the constant drifting in and out of familiar and unfamiliar chord structures infuse simple and memorable choruses with simultaneous dreamlike and biting quality. “Repeat,” similarly, simmers even further into the trance-like rhythm of a slow back and forth, imbued with solitude and self-reflection.
“Sunny in the Making” is an immense standout with its percussive synth, simplistic but gripping drums, and an absolutely infectious chorus; it’s the kind of song that makes you wish you knew the words on the first listen so you could sing along. The lyrics are a brilliant blend of mournful self-reflection and cautious optimism that culminate in the irresistibly dancey chorus that proclaims, “I’m sunny in the making / Habits don’t behave / Two steps in the right direction / One step back again.”
“Living Life” is, by Babinksi’s own admission, one of the most “straightforward” songs she has written, and yet that ends up being much more of a compliment than one would expect. Sonically, it differentiates itself from the rest of the album with its foundation of pulsing acoustic guitar and the eventual climax of a chorus of vocals shouting the album’s refrain.
Before the song escalates into its finale, Babinski sings in a near-whisper tone, “So sing with me in that simple key / The one that everyone can somehow find their way around in”, dismissing the rest of the album's apprehensions. “Living Life” instead opts to embrace a sense of community that escapes from that secluded auditorium.
The album then takes a melodically darker turn with “Candles” and “Tangerine”, the former of which is ominous and brooding, shifting between the resonant isolation of a glockenspiel-like synth and Babinski’s voice to the melancholic pull of strings whirling around a rising piano. “Tangerine” then leaps forward with low, resounding slams of the piano and unison lines that punctuate the metaphor-laden magical realism of the song’s journey.
From the heightened intensity of “Tangerine,” the record then winds to a tranquil close over the course of two contemplative tracks that return us from the brief escape of “Living Life” and the tension of “Tangerine” back to the warmth of that vacant auditorium. “Exactly What it Means” itself acts as a microcosm of the album’s journey, providing us with contrasting visions of self-reflection.
The first chorus is a haunting lament that claims, “I know exactly what it means / Like when you’re living quietly and the silence makes you scream.” The second chorus croons in a weathered voice, “I know exactly what it means / Like when you’re living just to breathe and the beauty makes you weep.”
The album’s closer, “Love Me When I Go to Sleep” is reminiscent of a lullaby. All instrumentation disappears aside from Babinski’s quavering voice and an acoustic guitar and she takes only two minutes to offer a tender farewell.
This final track serves as a reminder that the journeys we go on, externally and internally, are exhausting, that our growth requires rest as often as work and reflection. It brings the album around to a holistic point and the lights to a close, reminding us that, even in our rush to develop and learn, we should always take the corners gently.
“Take the Corners Gently” is out now wherever music is streaming and can be found along with merch on Steady Holiday’s Bandcamp page. You can follow Steady Holiday on Twitter @SteadyHoliday and, while you're there, let us know what you thought of the album by tweeting us at @lgndsoftmrw!
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