Bathe, the alt-R&B duo consisting of vocalist Devin Hobdy and producer Corey Smith-West, has returned with their new album, Inside Voice(s), via MNRK Records.
The 11-track project is a continuation of their Side A EP, released in 2024. Inside Voice(s) contains all six tracks from the latter project, including standouts “Avalon” and “Fields,” plus five new ones.
“Inside Voices is our attempt to make sense of the noise around and inside of us,” Hobdy and Smith-West say. “It contains the sounds of the hopes and joys that motivate us, as well as the fears and disappointments that tempt us to stay in bed. Writing this album forced us to sit with and come to terms with these voices, friendly and frightening, inside and out.”
Among the album’s highlights is the closing track, “Bby Boi.” The sentimental ballad finds Hobdy empathizing with his late grandmother, who passed away in 2024. “Hope there’s a light show wherever you are,” he coos over a warm electric guitar strums.”
Hobdy explains, “I wrote ‘Bby Boi’ while living with my gma during the final year of her struggle with dementia. It’s a song about memory and grief, but it’s really a lullaby for a woman who never knew rest.”
On the ethereal “Hosannas,” Hobdy contemplates his religious beliefs, singing, “Heaven only knows / This my opinion, a way to look at it / What’s the relevance of trying to figure out / Who’s right, who’s wrong?” he sings.
Then there’s “Capsize,” which echoes the ruins of a relationship. “Sometimes it’s easier to sink than to fight the tide. ‘Capsize’ is about that—giving in, letting go, choosing the fall over the struggle,” Bathe said. “For anyone who’s ever felt like they were treading water just to stay afloat, this one’s for you.”
Inside Voice(s) is Bathe’s first full-length project since 2021’s Bicoastal. “It’s kind of like this diamond; it’s this pressurized version of all the feelings we were experiencing in the aftermath of Bicoastal,” Hobody told Rated R&B in a 2024 interview.
“It deals with a lot of the mental health issues we were encountering during that period. It chronicles a lot of the growth we’ve had over that period as well.”
Bicoastal included some of Bathe’s signature tracks, such as “Schönefeld,” “Bolero” and “Sundress.”
Stream Bathe’s new album Inside Voice(s) below.
