PHOTO BY: BRITTANY O’BRIEN
Hypnotic Hangout: Baby Boys
The trio, Baby Boys, consisting of longtime friends: Jake Luppen, Nathan Stocker, and Caleb Hinz released a new single last week called, “Desperado”. In February, the Minneapolis, MN natives also announced their highly anticipated debut album. The album is called ‘Threesome” via Transgressive Records and it will be dropping on March 12th, 2021.
I had the opportunity to chat with Hinz about what we can expect from this upcoming album and the “Cannonball” artists in the future.
HB: ‘I’m Set’ really set the tone for not only your “free-for all” sound but also your brand. So, we have all anticipated this album. What can you tell us about ‘Threesome’ that differs from ‘I’m Set’ in terms of the recording process as well as the branding?
Hinz: “I think the biggest difference is that with ‘I’m Set’ it was us figuring out that we could make music together as three friends and there wasn’t a whole lot of intent with the release part of it. So, we made the EP and released it and then, Hippo Campus went on tour for forever and I started producing music, so not much happened after the release.
But with this one we made a cool website with all of these cool easter eggs and fun games. And we put a lot of intention into it with the music videos and we made (the album) it a real thing, not just an EP. It’s not a joke anymore,” Hinz laughs “Well I mean it is.”
HB: We got a small taste of the new album with the recent single releases. Why did you guys choose to release “Cannonball”, “Duke and the Cash”, “Gone”, and “Desperado” as the preview for ‘Threesome’?
Hinz: “Well, ‘Cannonball’ is definitely one of a kind on the record -but sonically, the intention and spirit of it pretty much sums up the record really well. It became the thesis of Threesome during the process of making it. We were just spit-balling lyrics and having fun, it was a great time.
But, ‘Duke and the Cash’ had sort of the same vibe as ‘Cannonball’, so we felt that one would be cool to release as a single. But ‘Gone’,” Hinz pauses and laughs “well, ‘Gone’ is a fucking banger.”
(We definitely agree.)
HB: You guys are well known for your “free-for all” sound, what exactly goes into an album that is free of the usual structure that is normally used for Hippo Campus, Happy Children, Lupin, and brotherkenzie?
Hinz: “The role that Baby Boys plays for us is that it provides a service for like our life more so, instead of like ‘hey we’re gonna make this band and people are going to like it’ ya know?
I think we discovered very early on that there was something that we had chemistry wise with the three of us that allowed us to forget all of the stuff we normally go through when you are creating stuff as well as all of the stuff you’re worried about when making something. Like, all of the ways you hope people take it and the ways you don’t want people to take it.
There is such a whirlwind of emotions that goes into making an album that just didn’t really happen with Baby Boys at all because, we just didn’t really have intention. Originally, we weren’t even gonna release it. But it’s like improv, in the way that it is just saying ‘yes’ to everything and being fearless constantly. And if something feels like it’s not working, we don’t get bummed about it, we just keep pushing and odds are it’s going to end up working.”
HB: Going off of that, because that truly is a very interesting and unique approach to making an album- I really would like to know if there was ever a moment where you put too much pressure on yourselves to not overthink?
Hinz: “During the process of making this record we didn’t put too much pressure, but maybe I worry about that going forward. But, we all trust each other a lot. Nathan is the best musician we’ve ever known and Jake is an idea machine, so there really ever isn’t much pressure between us. If someone isn’t feeling it, odds are another one of us will pick it up.”
HB: The lyrics in your songs have always fascinated me. Is it a collaborative effort when it comes to the writing process or does someone write something and the rest of you just build music after that? Or both?
Hinz: “Surprisingly, 95% of it is all collaborative. We’ll all be in a room, notepad in hand, and we’ll just spit shit out and whichever one makes us laugh the most gets the torch.”
HB: Okay , picture this: you’re completely stranded on an island, but there are three other bands or artists with you. Who is there with you and why?
Hinz: “Woah,” he takes a deep breath “God, I don’t even know, what if whoever I pick is annoying and then I’m stuck with them? Jeez,” he laughs “I think I would really want Flying Lotus there I really would like to pick Flying Lotus’ brain.
This isn’t really a music person but, Mark Gonzales, he’s a skateboarder and is such a creative mother fucker. I definitely want him there.
And shit, I guess Barbra Streisand has to be there too!”
HB: What is next for baby boys? Do you think we’ll ever see Baby Boys on the road when this pandemic is over?
Hinz: “Oh hell yea, Baby Boys will be on the road. Jot it down in capital letters because that is definitely happening when this is all over.
But, we do have a lot of stuff coming in terms of the Threesome release, like a bunch of videos and cool stuff.”
HB: And finally, what special message would you like to give your listeners and our readers?
Hinz: “Just stop caring what people think about you, it’ll only make things worse.”
Final Thoughts
Baby Boys is changing the game with their care free and convivial sound. The singles they have released so far are a promising preview of what Threesome will bring. We should continue to expect the unexpected with this trio.
You can stream “Cannonball”, “Duke and the Cash”, “Gone”, and their newest single “Desperado” as well as their other songs on all music streaming platforms. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and their website for more info and updates.
Hypnotic Bolt 