I replayed “Heartland” three times in a row the first time I heard it, and went back several times over the weekend to take closer and closer listens. It’s a 7-minute meditation that at times sounds like an early version of Pearl Jam’s “Black” and something from the rehearsal for Nirvana’s Unplugged performance. It’s also the last song on the debut EP from Bagdad titled They Don’t Know. Bagdad might be living 30 years in the past, and we’re all better for it.
The 5-track EP has a mournful, longing sound to it. Opening track “Valley of Dry Bones” evokes Alice in Chains, building tension through restraint, never quite getting to the loud part.
Bagdad is from Poland, and was formed by singer and guitarist Franciszek Drobiński and Wojciech Stach on bass, joined later by drummer Jakub Gadamski. Drobiński’s sober, wistful vocal often channels low-key Cobain or Layne Staley from Alice in Chains, never more than on “Knight Errant Block”:
The lyrics are fairly sparse, centred in loss and loneliness, matching the sombre and contemplative instrumental.
Not much else to say about Bagdad: They Don’t Know is a strong start and a near-flawless revival of a classic 90s sound.
Further Reading
Far Out Magazine profile, including the band’s take that “Creep” is a terrible song. Perfect.
