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With two singles to her name, Babitha is turning heads with a refreshing blend of alt-country charm and introspective, old-world songwriting.
Babitha is a brand new act out of Sydney, riding the area’s alt-country wave spurred on by contemporaries Andy Golledge, Caitlin Harnett and the Pony Boys, and others. Real name Imogen Grist, she seemed to arrive upon the scene fully formed.
After catching some ears gigging locally (including a spot at Happy Mag’s Issue 14 Launch the weekend before COVID-19 restrictions stuck), Babitha made her first play with Get Away. An archetypal sea-change anthem, the song is gorgeously slow moving, tinged with slide guitar and wonderful, escapist lyrics.
Get Away was the song Babitha entered into Needle In The Hay, and at the risk of sounding clichéd, it’s been on repeat ever since. It landed at perhaps the perfect time too – as the world at large felt the walls closing in thanks to pandemic-induced lockdowns, the idea of going off-grid sounded sweeter and sweeter.
“I think we should get away, get out of the city/I think we should move away, move to the ocean.”
Just today, Babitha has released her sophomore single alongside the exciting news that she’s been signed to Spunk! Records, one of Australia’s most eminent indie labels, for a forthcoming EP.
“I’m very excited to be part of the Spunk family and teaming up with Aaron [Curnow] to release the first Babitha EP.”
“After a disappointing year of cancelled shows, it’s been tricky as a new artist trying to find my feet, so getting signed after just one single release feels incredibly validating and encouraging. I’m stoked to be joining a catalogue of artists I truly admire, and can’t wait to see how the year unfolds.”
The Clown moves at a slightly faster pace than Get Away, but is no less arresting. Speaking about the track, Grist shared:
“I wrote this song after a friend of mine was partying too hard and I was getting a bit concerned. It’s about the pressure you feel to perform and put on a show – when you’re heading down a path that feels inauthentic or contrived. I wanted this song to be a tender reminder that it’s ok to slow down and think about who you really want to be.”
Keep up with Babitha on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
Needle In The Hay is a competition run by Happy Mag, giving one artist the chance to win 250 copies of their single on 7-inch vinyl. To enter or find out more, click here.
All Needle In The Hay entrants will receive a voucher to upload their first single for free for the first year to all major music platforms via Spinnup. Find out more here.
