(August 11, 2024) Avalon is a mythical island where King Arthur’s sword was made and where he went to recover after being injured in battle. So, Avalon has come to symbolize a place where people go to free themselves of the hustle and bustle of contemporary life.
The duo Bathe capture that untethering oneself from cares of the world to be restored in a place of peace vibe on their dreamy single “Avalon,” which is featured in this First Listen. I was not familiar with this Brooklyn based duo until I listened to “Avalon” and tracks from their 2021 album Bicoastal for this article. I must say that I liked what I’ve heard so far.
“Avalon” continues a theme that band members Corey Smith-West and Devin Hobdy first established on Bicoastal. Namely, Bicoastal explores the theme of being compelled to separate from the familiar because those well-known haunts and established patterns of behavior have become so much white noise.
Or as Hobdy put it: (Bicoastal) was born out of the stagnancy that you feel in your mid-twenties. One way to process that feeling is by deciding that it’s your location that’s keeping you from achieving whatever it is that you’re after. Corey and I had both been in Brooklyn, surrounded by concrete for so long. But all of our music is obviously very tied to the water, and we found ourselves fantasizing like, “What would it be like to just pick up and leave?”
The intimate numbers on Bicoastal have lyrics that take on the putting distance between those familiar places, while also finding connection with another person. It’s ironic that a project exploring themes of distance, isolation, connection and intimacy dropped during the pandemic.
The latest single, “Avalon,” and the accompanying video place the theme of a people desiring a getaway to a tranquil island that possesses restorative powers in a very familiar context – an office filled with computers, telephones, fluorescent lights and hovering bosses and co-workers. All the things that add stress to life, and Smith-West and Hobdy fantasize about being in their personal Avalon – perhaps accompanied by their own Guinevere.
Check out Bathe’s “Avalon” here.
By Howard Dukes
