Waterbaby - 'Beck 'n' Call
Stockholm’s waterbaby continues her soft-spoken revolution with wistful single ‘Beck n Call’
Known for toying with convention, waterbaby drifts into a softer soundworld with ‘Beck n Call’, one led by ornate orchestral sighs and whispered ideas. Now comfortably nestled within Sub Pop’s eclectic family, this single marks the third release from the Swedish rising star. Having been nominated for ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in the 2024 Swedish Grammys, waterbaby’s ascent to bedroom-pop pioneer has been a steady climb since her debut EP ‘Foam’. Co-written by long-term collaborator Marcus White and featured rapper ttoh, ‘Beck n Call’ emerges two years on as a sonic evolution of her indie-pop sound, one leaning into the minute, micro-melodic tendencies of her indie-pop sound.
Propelled forward by a racing piano riff, this single is an anthem for the overthinkers. Whilst the piano obsessively cycles below, layers of strings drape over a whispered beat-box percussion. Through its addictive repetition and pointed melodic shapes, waterbaby projects rumination onto its rhythm. She carefully dissects the heartache of wondering whether you should have walked away, looping back around to an earworm of a hook, “Couldn’t have been you / Couldn’t have been me too / Who knows where I’d be / If I was ever reminded of you,” every few cycles.
Fuelled by fractured melodies and staccato thoughts, waterbaby’s subtle intonations invite you to listen closely to this single, blink and you’ll miss them. Within the track’s weightless atmosphere floats a passerby flute, a dynamic but never overwhelming drum line, and a grounding bass. At the halfway mark emerges rapper and co-writer ttoh, who meets waterbaby midair with a woozy delivery and offhand charm.
With its satin textures, ‘Beck n Call’ glances back to the velvety sound worlds of late 90s R&B, while its off-kilter rhythms and waterbaby’s own punchy delivery pull it into the present moment. Whilst her previous offering ‘Amiss’ leaned more into the balladic, the buoyant charm of ‘Beck n Call’ shows off her lighter side. It’s through this interweaving of lo-fi pop tenderness and R&B fluidity that waterbaby finds herself at a shimmering intersection of genres.
With ‘Beck n Call’, waterbaby continues her quiet transformation from underground bedroom-pop pioneer to one of Sweden’s most exciting, emotionally attuned artists. With a string of standout releases under her belt, and this tenderly wistful offering, waterbaby is carefully unravelling an exciting direction for indie-pop.
Words: Sasha Renn
Photo: Levi Axenne
