London-based dance punk/post disco duo Baba Ali have aired their new single “Heart Racer” and its accompanying video.
The song, crafted with Al Doyle (LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip) and Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys/MIA) is out now via Memphis Industries, and follows on from their 2023 sophomore album, Laugh Like a Bomb. Grab it here.
Like a hit of adrenaline, “Heart Racer” slams on the accelerator and takes you on a wild thrill ride full of seduction and danger. The track’s propulsive electro drumbeat and throbbing bass combine with Nik Balchin’s gnarly guitars and set the scene for frontman Baba Doherty’s vocals, delivered in a rockabilly twang that’s been dragged through gravel.
The band credits cult 70s band Suicide as an influence, as well as Warmduscher, with whom they share a collaborator in Al Doyle. The duo worked on the song’s original demo with Doyle in his London studio before heading up to Sheffield to amp up the sludge and sex appeal with Ross Orton.
The guerilla-style video, directed by Ashley Rommelrath, features the duo on a nocturnal prowl through the nooks, tunnels and underpasses of Old Kent Road and includes performances from East London scene-queen Kuntessa and LA-to-London transplant Poppy Jean Crawford.
Quote from lead singer, Baba Doherty:
“Last year we started working out of a new space on Old Kent Road. When we write we’ve usually hidden away from outside noise, so this new constant stream of blaring horns, speeding cars and sirens was an immediate influence. Instrumentally, Nik and I kept the agenda simple: fast, hard and loud. The song first took form as a loop of pulsing bass and a minimal drumbeat. In the early demo, we actually used the road sounds from outside as samples and eventually these sounds transformed into guitar and synth riffs. ‘Heart Racer’ then emerged as this demented speed demon character at the driving wheel, flying forward at breakneck pace and indulging in a seductive mix of raw freedom and danger.”
Watch / listen below.
Baba Ali will perform supporting The Kills in London/Berlin/Warsaw, as well as separate dates across the UK and in Paris.
Upcoming Live Dates:
May
1st – Troxy, London, UK*
7th – Columbihalle, Berlin, DE*
8th – Klub Studola, Warsaw, PL*
10th – The Ferret, Preston, UK
11th – In Colour Festival, Leeds, UK
June
1st – Supersonic Block Party Festival, Paris, FR
July
28th July – Deer Shed Festival, North Yorkshire, UK
*Supporting The Kills.
Photo credit: @emwajones
