Hot In Chicago! Irreversible - Brigitte Calls Me Baby Review

Words: Tom Gensler

CREDIT: Scarlet Page

I don’t think I’ve listened to an album recently and thought, “wow, that’s sexy.”At least

not before I heard Irreversible, the latest album from Chicago indie outfit Brigitte Calls Me

Baby. I hadn’t really heard much from them before this so, as a brit myself, I naturally assumed the band was British, due to a similar vocal style to Morrissey, but I enjoy being wrong. The album does sound very British though, I’m not sure why, but I welcome it. But, before we get into the new album, lets catch up with the band’s discography.

Their debut album, 2024’s The Future Is Our Way Out, is a strong hard launch of the

band’s sound. It's polished but not very sonically expansive. There’s a mix of genre

conventions that are all tied together by very consistent guitar and vocal sounds, leading to

a cohesive and fun album. Whilst the album is very good is does sort of leave you wanting

more, and I’m very glad to say this gap is very much filled with the arrival of the newer

music, which takes the band into a differing but more sonically cool space.

As I said before, it's a very sexy record. I believe this comes from the airy lush synths,

the drowned-in-reverb sound aesthetic, and the way the songs mainly keep to the same

level, establishing a suitable bass ground for the vocals and guitar parts to work off. The

production is really smooth and clean, and an improvement from The Future Is Our Way

Out, where guitars and vocals can be more jangly and at times abrasive. This is a

welcome shift, the vibes definitely suit the songs better, and the smooth energy has this

effortlessly cool sleaze to it without being too showy or open about it. The sound’s

consistency is also impressive, I enjoy how it's established in the singles and kept to within

the album. I like it when an album is marketed with singles that actually represent the

album, it makes for a better listen. It's a weird world, one where we take the marketing and build up into account when thinking about an album, but in this social media and

celebrity age, it's hard not to. However, the pay-off of those single teases is fantastic,

definitely worth it, the build and hype is real and well-deserved.

Thematically, from the get-go, it's sort of a romantic and lived-in anthology of songs

about the human experience, dancing between lust and love and deep affection. It's a good balance that the music heavily reflects; an enjoyable mix of emotional motifs.

From the first few seconds of the album’s opener, the massive There Always, there’s an

80s feel, vibes of U2 in the shining guitars and pulsing drums. There’s definitely a new-

retro, postmodern feel to Irreversible, and it's definitely one of the prominent features of it.

It doesn’t feel like it has come out in 2026. Maybe the 2000s to an extent, but it really does, at times, such as on I Can Take The Sun Out Of The Sky, feel like an 80s release, just re-

recorded with modern production. Whilst I’m on the subject of I Can Take The Sun Of Out

The Sky, I definitely think it's one of the albums highlights, with very similar chords and

even vocal melodies of Chappell Roan’s 2024 hit Good Luck, Babe!, which is very 80s, and even down to the chord progression the song feels retro. There’s a big effort in the

songwriting and how the sound matches that, and I can really hear, and feel, it, and it

certainly pays off. The songwriting isn’t complex or overly showy, but it matches the energy

of the album perfectly, which I really admire. There’s talent and skill but it never feels like

they’re trying to show you it.

The album’s actual musicianship is excellent. No one part overpowers another, and the

rhythm section works extremely well across the board to provide a suitable and often

sublime space for the vocals to exist in. It makes the album very easy to listen to, and this adds to the often intoxicating vibes provided. This does sound like the band trying

their hardest and I love that, there’s a sweat to the songs that’s very natural and works in

their favour, especially for the style.

Moving onto Sillage; the only part that doesn't quite work as well as the rest. The 30- second instrumental build-up to I Can’t Have You All To Myself doesn’t stick around long

enough to work on its own, and because it is a direct build up to the song, it should really be tagged onto the intro and not its own separate thing. It's like it's there just to occupy a single track spot and it serves no purpose separately. It sounds great though, just doesn’t fit or add to the album on its own, but works great as the intro to I Can’t Have You All To Myself.

I Danced With Another Lover In My Dream is the clear highlight of the 11-tracks.

There’s a really raw and emotional simultaneous sense of both acceptance and

desperation in the song, and it's really driving. On this track, the emotions kind of swell up,

get out of control, and take a new more angular, lyrically abrasive but musically beautiful

shape. It's astounding.

Overall, this is a lovely sounding, well-written and sexy sophomore effort from

Chicago’s premium smooth indie outfit. This is certainly a must-listen if you like crisp-

sounding 80s vibes, songs with long titles, stunning production and the romantic/aromantic

feelings of dated thrillers. I have a feeling their next record will be another left turn and I am

completely here for it.