Following a magic carpet ride through major festivals of the UK and Europe this summer, supersonic sorcerers MY BABY have announced a vinyl release of their vertiginous fourth album, ‘MOUNAIKI ~
By the Bright of Night’ – plus the first dates of their 2019 world tour kicking off in New Zealand and Australia and then on to the UK.
Following their lauded 2017 LP ‘Prehistoric Rhythm’ and a clean swoop of main stage performances at Bestival, Boomtown, Wilderness and Shambala festivals this year, the Dutch/Kiwi psychedelic trio return with a new album of their trademark stomping, astrological, shamanic Psych-Rock.
‘MOUNAKI ~ By the Bright of Night’ entwines frontwoman Cato van Dyck’s entrancing vocals, kaleidoscopic guitars, deep bass-driven grooves and tripped out tribal beats. The album is a further foray into MY BABY’s perpetual journey - connecting the earth’s roots with planetary wonder through their genre bending, time travelling narrative.
Lead single ‘In the Club’ - a throbbing, lysergic mash of Bluegrass, Disco, Funk and Trance, gained multiple spins on BBC Radio 2 an topped the radio charts in the Netherlands this summer.
More than just a band name, ‘MY BABY’ is a central character in the band’s songwriting - a kind of phantom muse. She is imagined as ‘a girl in the 70s dreaming about being a flapper girl from the 20s’. Their brand of storytelling over hypnotic grooves arose from the challenge of unifying musical influences:
“This way of working allowed us to be very diverse in our songwriting. The labyrinthian dream- like world, where the character travels through different ages, inspired us to delve into Jazz and ragtime from the Twenties, the American songbook of the Thirties as well as film scores from Forties film noir and Italian neorealism.” Says Cato.
MY BABY’s mesmeric sound is informed by Shamanic Chants, Muddy Blues, ancient Folk, 70s Funk, Afrobeat, Moroccan Gnawa, Indian Raga, transcending perfectly into contemporary dance beats deftly delivered by drummer Sheik van Dyck.
The undulating, hypnagogic title track ‘MOUNAIKI’ perfectly encapsulates the marriage of these rhythms. “‘Mounaiki’ is the shamanistic name given to the main character, meaning ‘love and will’. MY BABY’s quest to find meaning and identity leads her to a path of transformation”, explains lead guitarist Daniel ‘Da Freez’ Johnston. ‘We took inspiration from many musical heroes of ours. Most notably Sly Stone, who also became a character in the song ‘SUPERNATURAL AID’, adds Sheik.
MY BABY have become notorious for their unequalled blend of roots-driven dance music, gaining the approval of audiences and critics worldwide. They’ll be bringing their bewitching beats back to our shores for a UK headline tour in Spring 2019. Confirmed world tour dates so far:
Jan 5 Jan 11 Jan 12 Jan 17 Jan 18 Jan19 Jan 20 Jan 25 Jan 31 Feb 8 Mar 9 Mar 11 Mar 20 Mar 21 Mar 22 Mar 23 Mar 24 Mar 28 Mar 29 Mar 30 April 4 April 5 June 8 June 9
Christchurch, New Zealand, Blue Smoke, MOUNAIKI Release Show Wellington, New Zealand, Meow, In The Club Tour
Napier, New Zealand, Cabana, MOUNAIKI Release Show
Raglan, New Zealand, Yot Club, In The Club Tour
Raglan, New Zealand, Soundsplash, In The Club Tour
Auckland, New Zealand, Neck Of The Woods, MOUNAIKI Release Show Mount Maunganu, New Zealand, Totara Street, MOUNAIKI Release Show Lexton Victorie, Australia, Rainbow Serpent Festival
Golden Bay, New Zealandg, Luminate Festival
Mapua, New Zealand, Golden Bear, In The Club Tour
Adelaide, Australia, WOMADelaide
Adelaide, Australia, WOMADelaide
Manchester, UK, Band on the Wall, In The Club Tour
Glasgow, UK, King Tut's, In The Club Tour
Leeds, UK, Brudenell Community Room, In The Club Tour
Birmingham, UK, Castle and Falcon, In The Club Tour
Cardiff, UK, The Globe, In The Club Tour
Leiden, The Netherlands, Gebr. De Nobel, In the Club Tour
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, Neushoorn, In the Club Tour
Hengelo, The Netherlands, Metropool, In the Club Tour
Alkmaar, The Netherlands, Victorie, In the Club Tour
Hilversum, The Netherlands, De Vorstin, In the Club Tour
Raalte, The Netherlands, Ribs & Blues Festival
Moffat, Scotland, Raehills meadows, Eden Festival
Buy tickets below.
