By Stephen CarlickWhat a difference a year can make. On their 2011 debut, the Babies sounded like the side-project they were: the songs were simple, ramshackle and recorded cheaply by Vivian Girls' Cassie Ramone and Woods' Kevin Morby in their spare time. It was charming, but between the two songwriters, it felt like they could do better. Our House on the Hill is the proof. While higher production values certainly help, there's more significant growth elsewhere. Ramone and Molby know each other better, so the dynamic between them is more fluid, but the songs are better written, taking twists and turns that seemed out of their league on their boppy debut. The Babies aren't going to change anyone's life, but that's not the point: they're making effortless, catchy indie pop and on Our House on the Hill, they're doing it damn well.
Kevin once said in an interview that "the Babies are a cool freedom to have," because they're so loose, and because "we don't push ourselves too hard." Is it getting easier as it goes on or harder because you're pushing yourselves more? Cassie: I think anything in life gets both easier and harder as it goes on, in different ways. It always evens out to create a perpetual grey shade. It's easier to perform now, but it always causes more stress when there are more eyes on it. When you're starting out and nobody even knows who you are, it's much easier because you can do what you want and screw up and it doesn't matter.
Kevin: I feel like when we started the Babies, we were going into high school and now we're graduating college. There are some pluses there, but we're in the real world now.
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