Single - Suicide Girl

Incessant riffs and pulsating rhythms sit, somewhat subdued, behind sensual female vocals as Birmingham's Bi-Polar Baby flaunt their melodic pop-rock wares in the form of 'Suicide Girl' and 'Bi-Polar Baby'. Churnin' guitar chords vie with jagged bass lines and menacing drums to hold things together whilst the sexy Debbie Harry meets Shirley Manson vocals slick out the dark-edged lyrics. Guitar pop that's retro without meaning to be - one step from being Goth-punk - hard-driven and solidly rockin' - Bi-Polar Baby have an inherent darkness yet retain sensitivity, they rock out with eclectic nuances that add new dynamics to a catchy pop-rock melee.

'Suicide Girl' is gritty, infectious melodic rock with blatant pop sensibilities. It's a decent enough commercial work which is a bit of a worker rather than an instant whammy! To my way of thinking the mix is a bit soft and there's not much that comes right out and smashes you in the face with instant appeal; it rather creeps up on you and that may not be a good thing for Bi-Polar Baby in the fickle pop marketplace. Now, 'B' side, 'Bi-Polar Baby', I really do like; it reminds me a little of the hazy psychedelic-electric backdrops of many of the American West Coast bands of the late '60s and early '70's - bands like Jefferson Airplane and Love etc. Actually, I see 'Bi-Polar Baby' as the commercially stronger of the two songs - it has a sort of heavy Kate Bush-esque vocal and some really interesting melodies running through it.

If I have one real criticism here it's that the production seems a bit 'fluffy' somehow; the end result is a single that really needs to be given as many db's as poss to make it really rock. Keep the vol down and the instrumentation sounds a bit jumbled and unsure - turn it up and it explodes into space to great affect!!

So, 'Suicide Girl' by Bi-Polar Baby is a decent enough single that's possibly lacking a bit in instant likeability and in-yer-face ooomph! Collectively, Bi-Polar Baby have a damn fine musical pedigree and their future is pretty much assured based on historical events and thus their 'carried forward' fan-base. I don't see 'Suicide Girl' making a big difference to Bi-Polar Baby - but, I do see massive potential in the band and look forward to watching them grow.