"Bleach" is the opening track on Bakar's BEASTIE EP and functions as a statement of intent. For a project that gets progressively more atmospheric and experimental toward its end, opening with something direct and sonically grounded is a choice that pays off: you get the contrast only once you have already committed to following him somewhere less familiar. Bakar is London born, Nigerian by heritage, and his sound has always carried that dual inheritance. British indie rock on the surface, something harder to categorize underneath. BEASTIE is him operating with more confidence in that hybridity than before. Reviews consistently singled out "bleach" as a highlight, the track that made the strongest case for the direction he is building toward. We think the tension between where "bleach" starts and where "Hey Doc" ends is actually the whole point of the record. But as a standalone song, it holds up completely on its own terms.
Bakar