BIDDADAT – Lovesick EP

Biddadat’s self-titled 2020 release shared some great funk oriented tunes. Tracks like ‘Outrageous’ and ‘Younger Days’ flaunted a strong influence from very commercial sounds – with the former actually veering close to something that sounds like a 90s alternative rock band playing ‘Get Lucky’ by Pharrell Williams, and the latter capturing the spirit of a ‘By The Way’ era Chili Peppers deep cut – whilst ‘Hey…I Like Your Body’ teetered a little closer to disco, but still conveyed an easy cool that suggested these musicians were more than happy in their shamelessly retro world. Not that people necessarily noticed: the album was released just weeks before the whole planet ground to a halt and the restrictions brought by Covid-19 pandemic meant that everyone had far more on their minds.

Nevertheless, the musical duo trucked on. A couple of enjoyable digital singles appeared over the next couple of years, and the ‘Lovesick’ EP hit streaming services at the end of 2024. ‘Lovesick’ – despite its brevity – would turn out to be a more than worthy follow up to the self-titled LP, bringing another round of great funk…and more.

Following an intro where dreampop-like drones are joined by a choir of wordless voices (‘Lovesick’ itself), ‘Pretend’ shows off a much more adventurous sound. The core of the track works more funk, dictated by a groove-laden drum part and a very busy bass, but the familiar elements are joined by sounds that are inspired by more of a pop and rock feel. There are obvious layers of guitar running through the busy arrangement – shimmering rhythm work can be found underscoring a Chris Squire-esque bass part – whilst vocally, too, the track finds Biddadat branching out. The soaring melodies owe far more to 70s pop and 90s power pop, occasionally offering a busy feel that might feel more at home on a 10cc track or two, but hearing everything blend together, there’s a natural vibe to the arrangement, no matter how busy it gets. For the listener, it’ll certainly be more about latching onto a mood as opposed to any singable hooks, but in terms of crossover sounds, this is superb. Few bands would be brave enough to fuse prog-ish basslines with elements of funk and a strong dose of pop. Even the peak years of 70s fusion leant further towards prog or jazz; the pop quotient here is key to the track’s all round brilliance, and if this happens to be your first proper experience of the Biddedat “sound”, there’s plenty here that will keep you listening.

Almost equally strong, ‘Grind’ offers a hard edged funk jam where fuzzy guitars weave in and out of big basslines and a huge, slightly waily vocal adds a slightly more rock-centric quality. On the verses, the funk hits hard like a cross between a 70s fusion band and one of the lesser known entities from the funk metal boom of 1991, before the chorus twists itself into more staccato led sounds, thanks to a jazz inflected drum part and aggressively slapped bass increasing the tension. Although the vocal would undoubtedly be a little gruffer around the edges, it wouldn’t be a great leap to imagine Strange Majik dropping a very similar jam on a future release. In terms of reeling in the potential fan with some familiar but hard driving funk, this track is a two and half minute blast of coolness. Bringing a little more melody to the table, ‘Heartbreak’, at first, teases with a sharper guitar sound during a rising intro, but slunks into a slow, soulful arrangement where are soaring vocal sits very naturally against a mid tempo groove. The funk influenced bass is prominent, as usual, but an increase in harmony vocals lends a mood that’s very different to before. Occasionally, the harmonies hint at a love of 70s AM radio pop, but melodically, they owe more to a tune that would’ve suited Terence Trent D’Arby in his early years. In keeping with Biddadat’s fusionist manifesto, those paying closer attention will spot a semi-trippy synth occasionally appearing above the musical parapet, suggesting someone within the musical ranks has designs on this band following in the slipstream of the P-Funk mothership.

Released as a digital single in September 2023, ‘Be That Way’ makes a very welcome re-appearance here. It presents Baddadat at their most commercial, and in doing so, provides this EP with a very accessible curveball. Again, there’s a love of funk steering everything, but the pop sheen is much bigger. In some ways, there’s a commercial heart to the number that has a hint of Curiosity Killed The Cat, albeit wearing some rather funky threads, and the pop-ish vocal that dominates almost everything is massively appealing. If the music doesn’t grab you immediately with its mix of slapped bass sounds and chopping guitar grooves, the chorus certainly will, since Baddadat manage to blend a Go West styled pop heart to a melody that sounds a little more like State Cows and their yacht rock revivalism. In terms of pop-rock numbers, this is an instant hit, and despite being quite removed from the “typical” Baddadat sound, it’s the EP’s stand-out track. Even when the middle eight takes an unexpected detour into jazz fusion and something that wouldn’t feel out of place on the 1978 debut from Toto, this is never less than brilliant with its retro-commercial feel.

In a complete change of mood, ‘Kissin’ takes a few more 70s melodies and applies them to a pseudo-disco workout where faster grooves and filtered vocals take centre stage. Sounding like an offcut from Herbie Hancock’s ‘Feets Don’t Fail Me Now’, this could end up being a skippable track for those not into the vibe. That’s a pity, since there’s more good stuff hiding in plain sight beneath the more disposable sound. You’ll find another tautly played guitar that eventually gets to share another jazz fill or two, some perfect bass work and even a vocal melody that eventually proves rather catchy. It might not sound as grand as ‘Pretend’, or as enjoyable in the long term as ‘Be That Way’, but in time, it’s the kind of track that’ll stick.

If you absolutely have to find an easy label for ‘Lovesick’, it would be “funk”, but to merely leave it there – even alongside such greats as Parliament/Funkadelic, who, let’s face it, also dabbled with psychedelia and rock, thanks to the great Eddie Hazell – would be to sell it short. Very short. On this release, perhaps even more than on previous works, Biddadat show themselves to be a tight musical unit, but also show a willingness to freewheel into territory that would work well within a jam band format, or even something a little more psych-y. Pop, funk, soul, yacht rock: it’s all of these things at various points, and often a brilliant fusion of each, shared in a surprisingly casual way. Whichever way you slice it, this EP is a genuine treat.

January 2025

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