Photo by Rudolf Bekker
For all the complex, technologically impressive and/or bombastic music out there, sometimes we neglect how stunning simplicity can be. With a mesmerizing baritone presented in a soulful timbre echoing from 1980s’ England, Chris Kittrell (aka Baby Alpaca) has a way of showing listeners the beauty in a less-is-more mentality. His most recent single, “Will I Ever See You Again?”, did it with heartwarming loneliness, but his latest track, “In Our Eyes”, finds it in the most straightforward love.
“Last summer I was living in Williamsburg [Brooklyn] with my boyfriend, Benji,” Kittrell tells Consequence of Sound about writing the track. “It was steaming hot, so we went up to the roof and were playing music. I was joking around singing a love song to him, which became ‘In Our Eyes’.”
From that modest, pure origin, the song continued on a natural path through creation. Kittrell had been tapped to design a logo and tote bag for an event thrown by LA indie outfit Warpaint’s YAAAASS! charity. While hand-painting the totes together, he and Warpaint’s Theresa Wayman began getting close. After the event had wrapped and a few cocktails had been downed, the pair entered the studio that very night to record “In Our Eyes” together.
The track is an airy, honest love song. Built on little more than some slow played synths and lightly snapping percussion, the instrumentation is nothing more than the cloud that lifts up your heart when it beats with love. “Do you remember/ The very first time you fell?” Kittrell and Wayman sing in sweet harmony on the chorus. “Do you remember?/ It wasn’t that hard to tell/ The look of love/ In your eyes.” Uncomplicated, unashamed, undeniable love — there’s nothing sweeter.
Take a listen to “In Our Eyes” below.
“In Our Eyes” comes from Baby Alpaca’s forthcoming debut LP, Under Water, out May 6th via Atlas Chair. The follow-up to his debut EP, Under Water is available for pre-order now. You can also catch Baby Alpaca live at his record release show on May 2nd at Bardot It’s A School Night in LA.
