Tampa – Baby (2021)
Tampa is unleashing his music on the world with his debut EP Baby. While no newcomer to the music world, this is the first release under his new moniker. It has taken 8 years to get to this point but the EP is completely worth the wait as it touches on personal experiences washed in dream-pop. A collection of tracks he wrote during high school and in 2019, it offers a snapshot into his life and feelings.
While the tracks touch on something personal, they have been crafted into relatable earworms. Christopher West might be better known for his earlier project Great Chamberlain, but the surf and alternative vibes of this new project are sure to impress.
The EP vibrates to life with the easy tones of ‘Gaze’. The beats have a gentle stomp to them while the guitars vibrate around you for a hazy introduction to West’s sound. There is a very chill vibe to this song that eases you into the EP. The movement of the keys has a curious feeling to them like they are innocently inquisitive. Later in the track, they are met with a slightly deeper tone that is almost a warning but does not bring down the chilled vibes.
‘Baby’ has a more rock feel compared to the dreamy opening of the EP. The guitar thrums lightly through your brain before West’s vocals hit you with a surf vibe. There is a light touch of psychedelia in his performance that brings a haziness to the song. You can easily slip into the vibe of this track and let his vocals mist over your senses. The drums come into their own later in the track to swing the melody before you are taken back to the hazy rock goodness.
The guitar opening of ‘Irene’ has a bouncy feeling that hooks into your brain. While you lightly bounce to the beat, there is something sad resting in the lines. As the song progresses, there is a beautiful playful feeling in the background that adds something special to the vocals. The vocals bring more of that melancholy to the song as the lyrics pay tribute to the beautiful soul of Irene. There is a lot of nostalgia packed into this track as the melody weaves through your veins.
‘Hereditary’ brings another vibe with a twanging guitar and deep beats. The vocals retain their haziness adding a sense of dreaming to the music. There is an interesting interplay between the melody and vocals. The music has a driving beat to it with lightly soaring guitars while the vocals are a hazy mist that you walk through. It makes the track really interesting as you want to move to the beats while chilling to the vocals.
The almost lo-fi tones of ‘IWBYM’ bring the EP to a close. This track feels the most personal with the vocals losing some of their haziness and getting a raw authenticity. The instrumentation also feels more grounded as you hear every note as it floats through your ears. The harmonisations on the chorus are also wonderful as they add this amazing depth to the single. This does not mean there is no dreamy haziness as there is a vocal line that ghosts in from the background. This track is a great collection of everything Tampa has to offer.
Tampa impresses with chilled vibes, authentic performances, dreamy vocals and touching lyrics in his EP Baby. Each track has a unique sound yet retains a dreamy vibe that ties them all together. The instrumentation makes you want to float on the waves of the melody while West’s vocals are warm sunlight on your skin.
