New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Hudson-based band Babehoven reveals a new single/video, "Often," off their debut album, Light Moving Time, out October 28th on
Double Double Whammy. Album closer "
Often" is a song about loss that frames pain as a person sitting in the backseat of her car. "You are family / And that means loss to me often," Bon sings, her voice capturing the precise modulation of emotion from line to line, drawing from her intimate experiences to imprint both devastation and beauty. "'Often' is a song about grief, about holding love for a person I've lost, about trying to let go and find new paths for myself," says Maya Bon. "This song changed my life when I wrote it and has provided clarity for me in times of chaos. I hope that, through sharing it, others will find in it comfort and clarity, too." The accompanying video was made by
Kevin Prince out of footage from around the Hudson Valley and from road trips he's taken. It loosely follows two characters through various moments in time.
Bon has built a solid partnership with her musical collaborator and producer Ryan Albert over the last few years, releasing several EPs since 2018. Their work displays Bon's emotionally incisive approach to songwriting that draws just as much power from abstract poetry that asks big questions as specific, personal vignettes. Similarly, Light Moving Time rests on lyrics that zoom in and out, inviting listeners to bring their own experiences to these songs when her writing is more cryptic and stew in the moments when Bon presents her entire heart on a platter.
Light Moving Time is emblematic of Babehoven's wide range of dynamics, and each of those sounds are taken further. You can hear the pared-down languor of Yellow Has a Pretty Good Reputation, the smoldering guitars of Demonstrating Visible Difference of Height, the peculiar charm of Nastavi, Calliope, and the soft tenderness of Sunk. Some tracks exhibit the wispy ambient calm of a Liz Harris track, another falls somewhere between a flowy country song and an '80s power ballad, and others contain the plucky indie-folk warmth of Hovvdy and My Bloody Valentine's wobbly shoegaze. But in contrast with those EPs, these tracks utilize Bon's voice with greater emotional impact than ever before.
The accompanying artwork (by painter
Danielle Norris) embodies the album's contradictions, fleeting moments, and nagging sense of progression and regression. Bon is painted as a headless figure, her face placed on her chest, slack-jawed, wide-eyed, and alert. At the center of the cover, appearing to be both moving forward and at rest, she stands with one leg outstretched and one leg behind her. "This whole album and the whole picture is frozen and moving all at once, which is kind of my experience of trauma," Bon explains. Life may feel like it's always changing states of matter, but luckily there's one other constant besides the sunrise every morning: Bon's compassionate, illuminating songwriting.
Babehoven Tour Dates:
Thu. Oct. 20 - Kingston, NY @ Tubby's ^
Fri. Oct. 21 - Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theater ^
Sat. Oct. 22 - Ithaca, NY @ Deep Dive ^
Sun. Oct. 23 - Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room ^
Thu. Oct. 27 - Catskill, NY @ Avalon Lounge
Sat. Oct. 29 - Allston, MA @ Tourist Trap
Sat. Nov. 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Fri. Nov. 11 - Washington, DC @ DC9 *
Sat. Nov. 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's *
Tue. Nov. 15 - Burlington, VT @
Radio Bean
Wed. Nov. 16 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB *
Thu. Nov. 17 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison *
Fri. Nov. 18 - Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
Sat. Nov. 19 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop *
Sun. Nov. 20 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village *
Wed. Nov. 30 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord *
Fri. Dec. 2 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
Sat. Dec. 3 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
Mon. Dec. 5 - Sacramento, CA @ Starlet Room
Tue. Dec. 6 - San Diego, CA @ 61st St House
Thu. Dec. 8 - Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge
Sat. Dec. 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
^w/ Mikaela Davis
*w/ Skullcrusher.
