Track By Track: Baker Island – Stone Age Riot

Newcastle-based quintet Baker Island really caught our attention with their new EP, Stone Age Riot. Sean from the band has graciously done this breakdown of the EP.

The angular sounds and sharp character portraits featured in its six song will appeal to fans of Art Brut, Pavement, and the darker end of shoegaze via a Neighbours reference.

Stone Age Riot

Stone Age Riot is, I suppose, about the rise of bizarre right wing and authoritarian ideas, not just in politics but in everyday life. Like people who are supporters of the death penalty thinking they’re good people and can’t see the contradiction in that.

Then it goes on about the fact that people on the left often don’t engage with these people, leaving them in bubble. It’s a bit of a pessimistic song, first written shortly after the 2016 referendum, which maybe explains a lot. Obviously, the title is a nod to Sonic Youth.

I Am Widow

I forget exactly what this is about which isn’t very helpful for a track-by-track feature. Something along the lines of well-off people in the ‘creative industries’ pretending to be salt of the earth working class, or marketing obsessed career musicians making out like they’re anarchists. Post punk rumblings over post office ramblings.

Eternal Affairs

A lot of our songs, and particularly on this EP, are written from the perspective of a character. This one is from the point of view of someone who has the ability to read minds, but only of people who are dead, and so have no mind to read. A daft song, basically.

Started out as an attempt to fuse Neutral Milk Hotel and My Bloody Valentine and ended up sounding like neither. The outro vaguely reminds me of Streethawk-era Destroyer.

Lassiter’s Complex

Nearly everyone’s life revolves around work now unless you have the money to have time. Work-life balance is a dream. Be competitive. Take your work home with you or die.  A sister song to Stone Age Riot in some respects.

What Did Your Last Savant Die Of?

Everybody’s a genius nowadays. The Pop Star opens the front door of the house he’s woken up in, to be confronted by the boyfriend of the woman who’s house it is. The boyfriend is confused as to why The Pop Star is wearing his (the boyfriend’s) dressing gown. Scandal in the indie-pop world! How many elements of this story are true remains a mystery, having heard it third-hand. The title is, of course, a nod to The Wedding Present.

Roman Pines

A jangly song and palate cleanser to end the EP. Parts of this song remind me of McCarthy, and other parts sound to me like a very light version of mclusky, but in reality, probably nothing like either. So, there you go.

Stone Age Riot can be downloaded on Bandcamp – where you can also pick it up on vinyl – and is streaming on all music platforms including YouTube Music, Soundcloud, and Spotify. Instagram and Facebook are the places to go to find out more about the quintet.