Babygirl is comprised of college friends and Toronto natives Kiki Frances and Cameron Bright, the duo drop their new EP Be Still My Heart on April 14th via Sandlot/AWAL. The EP is a five-track collection that details love’s ebbs and flows. The band defines its sound as “pop songs with sad guitars”, which is best displayed in the melancholic lead single “Always.”

“Is your goldfish still alive? Does your girlfriend want to meet me?” Babygirl ponders over charmingly awkward drums as they try to deal with the aftermath of love ending. There’s also “Sore Eyes”, which focuses on the ways a person can bring levity and purpose into your life. Its gossamer vocals and sugary production drive off into the sunset of a most romantic movie. The band’s earnest nature is most felt on the EP’s “Starlight” opener, which has a delicate balance of despondent lyrics (“Everything is bogus when I’m missing your starlight, what am I to do?”) with hopeful production that sparkles with each guitar flick.

Be Still My Heart is the follow-up to 2021’s Losers Weepers. The band’s mix of Death Cab For Cutie-inspired conversational lyricism and Taylor Swift-inspired use of catchy language

Music students at heart, Babygirl followed songwriter Jacob “JKash” Hindlin on social media and the rest was fate: he signed the band to his Sandlot Records in partnership with AWAL Recordings at the top of 2020, after finding the band while scrolling on Instagram. Upon clicking on the link to the band’s “Soft” music video, Kash sent them a DM that opened a conversation that would unknowingly change their lives.

“Kash gave us a lot of encouragement,” Kiki says. “He has been definitely key to us figuring out how to open any doors at all because the industry is a tough place to navigate. Having someone like him in our corner as a fan, friend and business partner has been so impactful for us.”

After signing with Sandlot Records and co-producing Lauv’s “Canada” collaboration with Alessia Cara in 2020, like many artists Babygirl had to navigate through the tough parts of the early pandemic. They used the downtime in their favor, by strengthening their songwriting and unofficially forming their mission statement: “bittersweet pop rock.” Other key statements include “bubblegum emo” and having a The OC soundtrack feel, the latter of which is a major influence for the band due to its nostalgic “coming of age” sonic atmosphere.

Cameron was born into a music family, as his father (a pianist) and mother (a singer) met while working in bands together. Watching John Mayer perform “Your Body Is a Wonderland” at the 2001 Grammys was a formative moment: he soon enrolled in a music school and in grade 7, he recorded a Radiohead-inspired album in his father’s home studio.

Fast forward to 2012, when both bandmates were enrolled in the music program at Toronto’s Humber College as vocal majors. After discovering a mutual adoration for pop, they formed a friendship. “We had a conversation about pop music and realized we have a lot of similar interests and taste,” Cameron recalls. “We were also both interested in songwriting, so we said, ‘Should we get together and try writing a song and see what happens?’.”

“Music has been such a source of self-reflection and helped me to understand my own identity. I’ve spent so much of my life feeling seen by music that I felt less alone when I heard someone speaking my own feelings or experience back to me,” Cameron says. “Every piece of music that we write or produce, it’s all a love letter to the music that we love. I hope that people will listen to our music and experience that same joy and inspiration, and a sense that they are being seen as well.”

Babygirl
Be Still My Heart
Tracklist
AWAL/Sandlot

Starlight
Always
Sore Eyes
Me, You & My Car
Born With A Broken Heart

Babygirl 2023 North American Tour Dates

5/25 – Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore
5/26 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
5/27 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
5/30 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
6/2 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
6/13 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East Club
6/14 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
6/15 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry

Order Be Still My Heart HERE