Bambara is an American

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

band from

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

that is now based in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. The band is named after the character of the same name from the animated television series ''

Æon Flux ''Æon Flux'' is an American avant-garde science fiction adventure animated television series that aired on MTV from November 30, 1991, until October 10, 1995, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered ...

''. Drummer Blaze Bateh stated that "honestly there wasn’t anything in particular about him as a character that drove us to use his name. We were just huge fans of the show. I’ve watched the show start to finish countless times and I still get blown away by aspects of it. But yeah, we just thought his name sounded really cool".

History

The band was formed in 2001 in Athens, Georgia by twin brothers Reid and Blaze Bateh and school friend William Brookshire whilst attending North Springs High School. The trio started out playing covers of bands such as

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

and

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

before developing their own sound that incorporated "funk, progressive, and a lot of Latin". They released their debut album ''Curtains and Cannibals'' in 2005 under their original name 23jinx, before changing their name to Bambara in 2008. The band moved to Brooklyn, where they signed to Arrowhawk Records in 2013. They recorded the album ''Dreamviolence'' from their basement apartment before releasing it in April of that same year. Their music was labeled as noise-rock in part due to their use of machines, loops, and other assorted lo-fi software. By mid-2014, the band nearly finished their full-length LP ''Swarm'', but had their computer stolen with all of the tracks they had recorded up until that point. This resulted in a delay for the album as the band took a break before re-recording the stolen tracks. Bambara recorded and released an

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

EP of pure noise titled ''Night Chimes'' in August 2015. The band stated that the EP helped get the noise "out of their systems" which helped in creating a more toned down version of the abrasive sounds of ''Swarm'' when the time came to re-record it. The album was released on April 1, 2016. According to Zoë Beery of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'', ''Swarm'' showcased the band's trademark atmosphere through long reverb and distorted guitars, but with clearer production to showcase the musicality as well as Reid Bateh's vocals. Their follow up to ''Swarm,'' entitled ''Shadow on Everything'' and released through Wharf Cat Records, continued this style for the band by restraining the noise experimentation while also incorporating a Western Gothic concept. The album follows a loose story of characters reciting eerie tales to each other at a

dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele ...

. Critical reception for the album was positive. Following the release of ''Shadow on Everything'' in April 2018, the band embarked on a European tour in support for the album before going on an American tour in support of IDLES. Their time on the road continued into 2019 as they announced an East Coast tour in support of

Daughters A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

. In March 2020, while on a North American tour supporting ''Stray'', the band canceled the remainder of their tour dates due to the outbreak of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. While separated across the country during lockdown, the band began writing a new music long-distance. The band was ultimately unhappy with the result and scrapped the EP only to start fresh when they were all back together in New York. They released the resulting EP, ''Love on My Mind'' in February 2022 to critical acclaim.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

called it a "novella-like EP whose shoegaze blur and metallic twang animate a dreamlike world of seedy characters and half-forgotten pasts." Following the release of ''Love on My Mind'', Bambara went on a two-month European tour and small run of North American dates.

Musical style and influences

Their style has been described as

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...

and

. '' Noisey'''s Colin Joyce described the songs as "chaotic" and "being held together with formless washes of noise and anxious vocal drones." Marcos Hassan from

Tinymixtapes ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...

listed the severity of

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

and the "depraved cabaret mold" of The Birthday Party as the sound they've been honing together. Reid Bateh has mentioned the films of

Wong Kar Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...

and David Lynch and the moods portrayed in them as influences on their sound. Bateh also cited the

Southern Gothic Southern Gothic is an artistic subgenre of fiction, country music, film and television that are heavily influenced by Gothic elements and the American South. Common themes of Southern Gothic include storytelling of deeply flawed, disturbing or ...

themes from the writings of

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern literature, Southe ...

and

Bruno Schulz Bruno Schulz (12 July 1892 – 19 November 1942) was a Polish writer, fine artist, literary critic and art teacher. He is regarded as one of the great Polish-language prose stylists of the 20th century. In 1938, he was awarded the Polish Academ ...

as influences on the themes in ''Swarm.'' Bateh has cited photographer

Nan Goldin Nancy Goldin (born September 12, 1953) is an American photographer and activist. Her work often explores LGBT subcultures, moments of intimacy, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the opioid epidemic. Her most notable work is '' The Ballad of Sexual Depe ...

's book

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency ''The Ballad of Sexual Dependency'' is a 1985 slide show exhibition and 1986 artist's book publication of photographs taken between 1979 and 1986 by photographer Nan Goldin. It is an autobiographical document of a portion of New York City's No ...

as an influence to his lyrics on ''Love on My Mind.''

Band members

Current

*Reid Bateh – lead vocals, guitar (2001–present) * Blaze Bateh – drums, vocals (2001–present) * William Brookshire – bass, vocals (2001–present)

Touring musicians

* Bryan Keller Jr. – guitar, vocals (2016–present) * Sam Zalta – guitar, keyboards (2016–present)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Dreamviolence'' (2013) * ''Swarm'' (2016) * ''Shadow on Everything'' (2018) * ''Stray'' (2020)

EPs

*''Dog Ear Days'' (2010) *''Rings'' (2012) *''Night Chimes'' (2015) * ''Love On My Mind'' (2022)

References

{{reflist, refs= {{Cite web, url=https://www.ohmyrockness.com/bands/bambara, title=((Bambara)) Band Profile and Upcoming New York City Concerts, last=McNamara, first=Patrick, website=Oh My Rockness, language=en, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/03/08/bambara-turn-southern-gothic-into-brooklyn-noise/, title=Bambara Turn Southern Gothic Into Brooklyn Noise, last=Beery, first=Zoë, date=8 March 2016, website=Village Voice, archive-url=, archive-date=, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/kzx3mv/bambaras-shadow-on-everything-stream-interview, title=Bambara's New Noise Rock Record Echoes the Grimy Loneliness of City Life, last=Joyce, first=Colin, date=2018-04-04, website=

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

, language=en-US, access-date=2019-03-18 {{Cite web, url=https://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/bambara, title=Interview: Bambara, website=Tiny Mix Tapes, language=en, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=http://www.masqueradeatlanta.com/attraction/bambara/, title=Bambara, website=The Masquerade, language=en-US, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/02/13/585160010/bambaras-western-gothic-opus-shadow-on-everything-comes-to-life, first=Lars, last=Gotrich, title=Bambara's Western Gothic Opus, 'Shadow On Everything,' Comes To Life, website=

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, date=13 February 2018 , language=en, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://www.sweetstatic.com/music/review/bambara-shadow-on-everything/, title=Bambara - Shadow on Everything, last=Seyfert, first=Russell, website=Sweet Static, language=en-US, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://thequietus.com/articles/24353-bambara-shadow-on-everything-album-review, title=Bambara – Shadow on Everything, website=

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

, language=en-us, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=http://pancakesandwhiskey.com/2018/09/24/the-joy-of-getting-bruised-up-with-idles-bambara-in-brooklyn/, title=THE JOY OF GETTING BRUISED UP WITH IDLES & BAMBARA IN BROOKLYN, date=2018-09-24, website=Pancakes And Whiskey, language=en-US, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://www.facebook.com/BAMBARA.band/posts/10161681136230137, title=Bambara, website=www.facebook.com, language=en, access-date=2019-04-10 {{Cite web, url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/best-2018-daughters-alexis-marshall-picks-favorite-music-movies-sports-event, title=Best of 2018: Daughters' Alexis Marshall Picks Favorite Music, Movies, Sports Event, date=2018-12-17, website=Revolver, language=en, access-date=2019-04-10

External links

Bandcamp page
Musical groups from Athens, Georgia Musical groups established in 2001 American post-punk music groups 2008 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)