''Bays'' is the fourth studio album by the New Zealand group

Fat Freddy's Drop Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by mus ...

, released on 23 October 2015 through their own record label, the Drop. The album is named after the band's own studio, Bays, in

Kilbirnie Kilbirnie ( Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisle ...

in southern

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. ''Bays'' charted internationally and topped the New Zealand albums chart, where it was also certified gold.

Critical reception

Anna Wilson of ''

Renowned for Sound ''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a pri ...

'' described the album as having a "heavier focus on genre fusion than the group's previous releases, with a few

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

undertones here and there" and ultimately called it "an easy listen and well structured, retaining Fat Freddy's Drop sclassic chilled style". Chris Familton of ''

The Music The Music are an English alternative rock band, formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey (vocals, guitar), Adam Nutter (lead guitar), Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the releas ...

'' called it a "sublime addition to the band's discography" and wrote that the group "continue as they left off on the last album, if anything hitting a stronger strain of dark dub techno infused rhythms". ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' felt that the album "sees the seven-piece outfit more focused and dynamic than ever", on which Fat Freddy's Drop "warm you up, and then turn your head inside out", concluding that "the more you listen, the more you'll find to love". Jennifer Quinlin stated that the "tunes are immersive and refined, and are as much at home in the venues of Europe as they are in the beachside cafe in Wellington. This is a perfect album for lazy summer days with friends, or a road trip with the windows down." Sam Moore of ''

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

'' remarked that if "you're already quite familiar with FFD's genre-splicing and casual beat-dropping, then you'll likely find a lot to love in ''Bays''", opining that it "stay mostly true to that dub/reggae ethos" and the group does not "mess around too much with the agreed formula".

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

References