Is our current mindframe geared towards EPs and singles, not albums? Has our attention span been decimated by our bloody quest for likes, hearts, retweets, and emoji reactions? It’s a long discussion, man, and I wouldnae wish to bore you without inviting over for a fine brew.

Today we have Baked on tap. Another blend from Casa de Exploding in Sound Records, this refreshing drink, II, comes in a shot glass, warming the cockles with a robust body and a fuzzy aftertaste. A reminder of days where Autoclave, Mary Timony and The Posies shimmied their way in well-worn cassette tapes and 7-eleven lollygagging.

Baked might appear lackadaisical at first, but there’s a certain energy that never goes away. It’s not only the overdriven fuzz that is integral to their sound, it’s the sum of the elements what yield their forward motion. I’d hate to say this, but this is miles above 2017’s Farnham. Is II a transition EP into a less-polished yet signature sound? I sure hope so.

Don’t get me wrong, I quite liked Farnham, but II shows Baked on a meaner setting, unleashed, and ready to gnaw away whatever is in front of them. It’s a weird, aggressive description to a band that slacks its way through sweet grooves and jazzmaster-bred riffs, but it works, at their own pace, in a cyclical way that peaks when the moon waxes.

Top track: ‘Good For You’.

Words: Sam J. Valdés López