Swamp Street Soul. Inca Babies

In April 2020 Harry Stafford debuted on these pages with his solo album, 'Urban Gothic Blues'. In my post I mentioned that he played in a band called Inca Babies, totally unknown to me, until recently that is.

With the long intro of 'Swamp Street Soul', the title track, Inca Babies blasted itself into my life. A huge sound, a modern wall of sound, catapults out of my speakers. With a couple of trumpets (Kevin Davy) heralding the sign of the times of Swamp Street Soul. Trumpets that are as much a part of the musical landscape as hovering over it. The top of a cymbal as the warning sound at a crossroad for the oncoming train. Somewhere from deep down the David Gilmour led Pink Floyd floats to the surface and descends again. And this is just the beginning of what I could write about 'Swamp Street Soul'. Let me stop here to move on, as there's so much more to enjoy.

Inca Babies, from Manchester is around for several decades now. In fact next year the band celebrates it's 40th birthday. Harry Stafford (guitar, keys, vocals), bassist Vince Hunt and Rob Haynes on drums and percussion make up the band. Musically the music is all but a trio. What I hear is impossible to reproduce in a live setting. The band may have (post)punk as a starting point, in 2022 this is only a part of the story. The energy is there but also the life lived, the experience gained, the skills picked up during years of playing. All this is reflected in the quality of the songs and the power put into the music.

Promo photo: Steve Nicholl

Part of Swamp Street Soul is set firmly in the 80s. New wave and postpunk elements are found in the mix, as are punk eruptions themselves. At the same time Inca Babies fits perfectly in the newest wave of new wave that rages over the U.K., Ireland and The Netherlands. The album fits in nicely with the likes of Shame, IDELS, Fontaines D.C. and the likes. Squaring the circle as it were. Musically and energetically the band totally competes. Songs like 'A Walk In The Park', Crawling Garage Gasoline' do very well, while 'Bigger Than All Of Us' could be on Shame's debut album with ease and stand out. It is always a question who influences whom, but Inca Babies was here first, but may have become convinced that it was the right moment to return after releasing its previous record in 2014. 'Bigger Than All Of Us' rocks so loud. Way to go, Inca Babies.

One of the stronger points of Swamp Street Soul is that it dares to use contrasts. 'I'm Grounded' is a dirty sounding song, based on one basic riff, one bar going around and around, while not forgetting to get its musical message across. Where I had and have a hard time listening to Wire and especially Gang of Four, 'I'm Grounded' goes down really well. It does not forget to rock. Directly, in the next song, 'Oh The Angles' Inca Babies aims for a perfect chorus. Again, the contrast between verse and chorus is huge. Beauty and ugly in the twain shall meet and do.

Swamp Street Soul joins decades and a few genres as well. Inca Babies may have been around, off and on, for 38 years, it deserves a spot in between this newest wave of new wave, as I decided to call it for myself. The inner tension 'Windshield Gnat' holds within it, is ten times worth the latest Fontaines D.C. single.

Finally, the title track returns in a "dub version", closing in everything in between between the so much more mystical composition. The kind that will seem to continue endlessly when played on repeat. So, if this kind of music is your thing, Swamp Street Soul ought to be your next album to check out.

Wout de Natris