Dutch duo Baby Condor, brothers Nolle and Beinte Groen, make a graceful, contemplative entrance with their self-titled debut EP, a six-track journey that blends classic songwriting craft with modern sonic sensibilities. From the opening notes of Backcountry Towns to the reflective closer Silver Stereo, the EP feels like a personal diary set to analogue warmth and rich instrumentation.
Recorded almost entirely in their hand-built Mermaid Studio, the EP is a labor of love. Real instruments, live takes, and analogue production form the backbone of a record that prioritizes texture, mood, and emotional nuance over immediate pop hooks. From delicate piano lines and pedal steel to lush string arrangements and soft brass, Baby Condor’s sound hovers somewhere between James Taylor’s reflective intimacy, Paul McCartney’s melodic clarity, and the cinematic touches of Jonathan Wilson.
Lead single “Dreaming of the Day” is the heart of the EP, a melancholic yet sunlit meditation on love in transition, balancing wistfulness with a gentle hopefulness. Elsewhere, Seventeen explores the bittersweet passage of growing up, while Lifetime Come & Gone contemplates loss with a jazzy, almost ethereal touch. Saw You in a Song adds a gritty, blues-tinged dimension, showing the duo’s versatility, and Silver Stereo closes the record with a triumphant celebration of music itself as a tactile, human craft.
Baby Condor’s debut is immersive without feeling overwrought, intimate yet expansive. Each track moves with patient care, allowing the listener to inhabit the landscapes the Groen brothers evoke, sunlight through canyon walls, endless highways, and quiet evening reflection. The EP demonstrates that songwriting built on authenticity, analogue warmth, and emotional honesty can still resonate deeply in a streaming-focused world.
With Baby Condor, Nolle and Beinte establish themselves as meticulous, soulful storytellers, capable of creating music that feels timeless and deeply personal, offering a refreshing alternative to the immediacy of contemporary pop.