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Aug 12, 2020 Web Exclusive By Caleb Campbell

Baseball Game is a new cross-country collaboration between LA/Nashville duo Adam Carpenter and Jason Bennett. The name is drawn from cherished childhood memories of America’s Pastime and the music itself is similarly drenched in nostalgia. The duo’s self-titled debut EP draws upon hazy pop rock, 1970s soft rock, and indie folk textures to tell stories of long-lost desire with hints of melancholia.

The EP rushes forward on “Baseball Game,” the most driving and uptempo song on the record. The track has a dusty tinge to the guitars, backing an anthemic chorus as the lyrics reflect on both past joys and pains. It is a quintessential indie rock sound but one Baseball Game pulls off admirably while setting the stage for the themes of the record. The following track, “Woman,” forms a slinking, groovy cut as the breezy guitars back Carpenter’s aching vocals. Its dreamy texture matches well with the lyrics as they detail an all-encompassing infatuation. The duo says the trancelike grooves were inspired by “YouTube videos of people dancing to slow disco from the ’70s without sound.”

The rest of the EP is similarly subdued, although each song captures very different aesthetics. “Feelings” trades in the golden summer haze of the previous tracks for a moodier sound as pulsing synths and instrumental samples fill out the texture of the song and a sax solo adds a great deal of color to the track in the back half. Meanwhile, the closer “See You Tomorrow” is a gentle indie folk track that lifts heavily from the Bon Iver catalogue. The pitched vocals especially recall the vocal manipulations on 22, A Million. Although the influence of Justin Vernon looms large over the track, the duo brings a fractured beauty that makes it the standout cut from the record. Lyrically, the song also brings a beautiful sense of resolution to the nostalgia of the EP as the duo examines the negative space surrounding a loss and searches for closure.

While each track works well as individual cuts, the EP does suffer somewhat from the lack of cohesion. Since each song explores different moods and styles the listener doesn’t come out of the EP with a defined picture of who Baseball Game is, especially given the scant runtime. Though the band doesn’t completely define its own identity on this debut, the duo’s knack for affective songwriting and ear for a wide mix of influences show a group with some undeniable potential behind them. Given the chance to distill those influences into their own style and develop it over the course of a full-length record, Baseball Game could well prove to be an exciting new act in the indie sphere. (www.facebook.com/baseballgametheband)

Author rating: 7/10