Don’t be fooled by the fact that Chicago alt-rock band Brigitte Calls Me Baby was virtually unknown before their first single, “Eddie My Love,” in early 2023. With The Future Is Our Way Out, their debut album released via ATO Records, they formally introduce listeners into their world of rock croons, retro aesthetics, and adolescent confusion. Hailing from Texas, frontman Wes Leavins found himself in Chicago and forming the band with Devin Wessels (bass), Jeremy Benshish (drums), Trevor Lynch (guitar), and Jack Fluegel (guitar).

They all bonded over a shared love for music from decades past, centering their sound and image around bygone eras like their name, a reference to Leavins’ correspondence with classic French actress Brigitte Bardot. While the emotions stirred on the album may come from a juvenile state of mind, the five-piece group knows how to contextualize the angsty anguish at the heart of most tracks and tie it together with an indie-rock adhesive reminiscent of bands that made it big in the aughts.

On the occasion of their debut album, Brigitte Calls Me Baby will embark on a nationwide tour starting on Sept. 7 in Minneapolis at the Fine Line. As the supporting act of Airborne Toxic Event’s tour, they will be playing in LA at The Wiltern on Oct. 19 and in San Diego at Humphreys Concerts By The Bay on Oct. 21.

Songwriting That Resonates

When you have a vocalist as passionate as Leavins, it’s hard to resist joining him on the emotional rollercoaster he puts himself in during his aching croons. “Impressively Average,” the song that helped the band break through and quickly garner a following, is an ironic title, considering the songwriting is well above average in relation to other emerging acts or even cemented artists. As if his heart were bleeding in real time, Leavins grapples with feeling human emotion because he does not know what his partner wants from him. The fast-paced drums and bass only add to the hectic vocals, making you feel like you’re running on a never-ending treadmill in front of a projector showing painful memories.

Although a far more upbeat track than other songs on the album, “You Are Only Made Of Dreams” still features Leavins singing like it’s the last time he will ever be behind a mic. While his voice is undoubtedly among the band’s many draws, the lyrics give his vocals an added weight for those reading along as they listen. It goes without saying that Brigitte Calls Me Baby is already successful to a certain degree because of how immense the songwriting stands alongside their strong, impressionable style.

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Crestfallen Elegance

Listening to the album evokes imagery of Brigitte Calls Me Baby woefully performing at a crowded ballroom in the mid-20th Century, which speaks to how the entire tracklist oozes with pretty sorrow you can picture. The title track/opener, “The Future Is Our Way Out,” establishes the particular atmosphere from the start, exhibiting the members’ restraint until a moment of rising intensity comes, often during an emotional chorus. What’s apparent throughout is the instrumentation, never waning and consistently crisp in sound, a triumph that’s thanks to the band’s precision and production from Grammy winner Dave Cobb.

However, quality sound only stands out when the music also impresses at every turn, and there’s no shortage of songwriting to warrant mastered mixing. “Too Easy” slowly eases into the crippling mind of a hopeless romantic, underlined by lines such as “Falling in love would be too easy” and “If everything was as it seems / Memories wouldn’t feel like dreams.” It may have taken similar artists like Arctic Monkeys and The 1975 to reach their current level of sad sophistication, at least when it came to their image, but Brigitte Calls Me Baby already lives up to that standard, which compliments their mournful grandeur.

Effortless Genre Mixing

The album’s cohesion from start to finish should be applauded, but it’s important to highlight that their command of genres is equally impressive. Ranging from The Cure-esque post-punk glitz of “Palm of Your Head” to the melancholic jangle rock of “I Wanna Die In The Suburbs,” a song that could have been cooked up by Morrissey back in the 80s or 90s, you get a sense for the sonic diets all the band members grew up on. However, they manage to avoid any identity crisis when balancing these genres, instead juggling them with care and getting their own retro style across. In fact, none of the songs on The Future Is Our Way Out stand out negatively, with each passing track justifying its placement through sheer quality while uplifting the overall project.

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The Future Is Our Way Out is a confident full-length debut that flourishes in its insecure emotional space, juxtaposing the band’s otherwise self-assured approach. As for whether or not they could hold their own in a live setting, a performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago and a TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live should put any doubt to rest. And despite the countless other debut albums this year that similarly showed their artists’ strengths on the first go, many of them released in the past few months, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Brigitte Calls Me Baby’s name pops up in Best Debut Albums talks towards the end of the year.

Words: David Sosa

Visit Brigitte Calls Me Baby on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and their upcoming tour, which includes an LA date at The Wiltern on Oct. 19.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby 2024 North American Tour:
*opening for Airborne Toxic Event

8/7/24 – Reckless Records, Chicago, IL
9/7/24 – Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN
9/8/24 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI
9/10/24 – Resonant Head – Oklahoma City, OK
9/12/24 – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX
9/13/24 – White Oak Music Hall – Upstairs – Houston, TX
9/14/24 – Three Links – Dallas, TX
9/16/24 – Vinyl at Center Stage – Atlanta, GA’
9/17/24 – The End – Nashville, TN
9/18/24 – Upstairs at Avondale – Birmingham, AL
9/20/24 – Cat’s Cradle Back Room – Carrboro, NC
9/21/24 – XPoNential Music Festival – Camden, NJ
9/22/24 – The Atlantis – Washington, DC
9/23/24 – Rough Trade in-store – New York, NY
9/25/24 – The Drake Underground – Toronto, ON
9/26/24 – The Stache at The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
9/27/24 – HI-FI Indianapolis – Indianapolis, IN
9/28/24 – Rose Bowl Tavern – Urbana, IL
10/1/24 – The Coast – Fort Collins, CO
10/2/24 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
10/4/24 – Reverb Lounge – Omaha, NE
10/5/24 – The Raccoon Motel – Davenport, IA
10/7/24 – Paramount Theatre – Denver, CO *
10/8/24 – The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO *
10/10/24 – Knitting Factory Concert House – Boise, ID *
10/11/24 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA *
10/12/24 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA *
10/13/24 – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR *
10/15/24 – Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA *
10/17/24 – The Warfield – San Francisco, CA *
10/19/24 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA *
10/21/24 – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay – San Diego, CA *
11/15/24 – Corona Capital 2024 – México, MX