Sydney-based soul-roots-reggae artist, Ernie Garland Jr continues his path towards his debut solo album – due in 2026 – with his newest single 'Baby Mama Drama', an ode to working through relationship issues that are only cosmetic in nature.
The multi-instrumentalist and singer-composer, formerly of Sydney reggae-roots outfit Kinksy, follows up his 2024 debut single 'Going Home', which will also feature on his record 'Dealin' Out The Healin'', with 'Baby Mama Drama'.
Chilled, cruisy keys dripping in funk, twinkling percussion that seduces, and an electronic bedrock that sparkles allowing your mind to drift unabated highlight the song's intro, before the gentle, refined brass tones enter the equation, your stresses melting away like an eight-hour, slow-cooked rack of lamb.
It's a relaxed groove that burrows deep inside your soul. When Ernie's warm, deep baritone vocals drop into the mix, the serenity feels flood your senses, enveloping all parts of your soul as you shoulder-head nod in time to the rhythm, lost in the flow.
The addition of female vocals (Arica Jackson and Terrie Lynne fresh from a Broadway production in New York City) halfway through creates a salty-chocolate vibe (I'll let you pick which is which ;), the song's sweetness elevated even higher, as the groove continues, sauntering along without a care in the world.
That feeling creates an osmosis effect, the song's trip-hop flavoured soul-funk meandering through your mind, and by the song's conclusion you'll feel like you've just had a sonic mental enema (in the best possible way!). You're very likely to hit repeat straight away (I know, I did!).
"The song is about not throwing away your relationships too easily," Garland says. "Doing whatever it takes to make it work and remembering the reason why you connected with your significant other in the first place. If it's worth fighting for, then do everything you can to save what you have."
Ahead of the release of 'Baby Mama Drama' tomorrow (23 October), today scenestr is delighted to premiere the song. Enjoy.
"I don't know where this came from," adds Ernie. "I just sat down at the keyboard one afternoon and started playing those chromatically descending 'jazz chords' then I added what's now the horn lines on top.
"I remember groove-wise it was pretty straight. I sent it to my beat builder, Kakhand, in NZ and he sent it back with the groove we ended up with. Basically three beats mashed on top of one another.
"This is one of my favourite records of the album. Fender Rhodes through a Leslie speaker recorded at Free Energy Device studios by Rich Belkner. Never made anything remotely like this before, which is what it's about for me."
Garland lays out his take on the state of the current creative landscape with candour. "We are our memory. We are our lived experience. Our minds are not a f...ing hard drive!
"AI couldn't write these lyrics in a million years," Garland elaborates, not speaking of himself, but dropping admiration for another artist who might seem unexpected, until you plug in to the joyful complexity on 'Dealin' Out The Healin''.
"This was my only thought – apart from it being a masterpiece – when I listened to Father John Misty's first album again recently," he says.
