Cult Babies

The Vancouver psych-rockers' 'verbed out riffs will send you on a cosmic mind trip.

Cult Babies‘ Off to See the Lizard is out October 17th, but you don’t have to wait that long to hear the Vancouver psych-rockers sophomore album, because we’re premiering it below.

Recorded entirely live off the floor by Felix Fung (who has previously manned the boards for Tough Age and Dead Ghosts) the seven fuzz-drenched jams of Lizard alternate between hazy psychedelia and heavy, doom-laden passages that recall Sleep, if they spent a lot more time on the beach and cranked up the reverb accordingly. The title track in particular best illustrates Cult Babies’ dual, surf-and-slay personality: crushing bass, dreamy vocals, and anthemic, ‘verbed out riffs all combine to sent the listener on a cosmic mind trip they won’t come back from too easily. Plus: theremin!

Check out Off to See the Lizard for yourself right here. The album’s out Oct. 17th in both cassette and digital formats. - A Side

Listening to Cult Babies feels a little bit like actually being asked to join a cult. On their new album, aptly named Off to See the Lizard, the band is headed down a yellow brick road. But they’re not fooled by cheery smoke and mirrors. No, with both sound and lyrics bringing up ideas of the occult and conspiracy vibes, Cult Babies dig straight into the uncanny world beneath.

Off to See the Lizard — released this October (two years after their debut EP, the self-titled Cult Babies) — is decidedly noisier than their last release. Heavy, fuzzed-out guitars and vocals are underlined by organ and theremin. The album is consistent but not homogenous: songs move in a common direction without sounding the same.


The album starts on a lighter note with “Garbage People” and “On a Roll” and gradually moves into darker territory. On the final track, “Yes We Cannibal,” the band pairs intense minor chords with lyrics that suggest a serious danger in being unable to “see it any other way.”

“Fuck Money” is a definite standout. Beginning with noise that gives way to a top-notch organ line, moving forward to group vocals over a drum solo before culminating in a powerful ending. Listening to this song always makes me want to see Cult Babies play live. I imagine how their ability to build energy through a song (and throughout the album as whole) in recording could be amplified on stage.

The band’s use of the theremin, particularly noticeable on the intros to “Garbage People” and “Fuck Money,” is reminiscent of golden-age horror movies, as in aliens coming to Earth to suck away your individuality in true cult-leader fashion. Nowhere is Cult Babies’ representation of indoctrination more evident, however, than on track four, “Yenom Kcuf” — 36 seconds of the chanted phrase “fuck money” played backwards over a distorted guitar line. This half-minute of noise reveals an ironic dichotomy in underground music scenes, where anti-conformity becomes something to which you conform. “Yenom Kcuf” reveals that conformity is impossible to avoid, because rejecting our capitalist norm would mean embracing Cult Babies’ back-masked doctrine to “fuck money.” The track is also laughably strange and adds to the band’s cultish aesthetic.

“Yenom Kcuf” raises the question: are cults a form of dangerous conformity or a group of radical non-conformists? It is hard to say whether Cult Babies criticizes, embraces, or just likes the aesthetic of cults, but they are making some seriously groovy music regardless. Off to See the Lizard has me nodding my head no matter where I am. - Discorder

Vancouver, BC’s Cult Babies are super dope. They play an enchanting, doom-laced psych rock, somewhere between Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats with stronger melodies and The Allah Las with more grit. Dude-babes, Ah God, will represent the local weirdo scene with their lo-fi floral grunge pop, and members of Coma Serfs will open the night with a Midnight Sun reunion show. - Noise & Color PDX

...Fittingly, Ah God are joined tonight by Vancouver psych-rock outfit, Cult Babies, whose new album, Off to See the Lizard, sounds like the product of a band who spent half the summer soaking up rays and surfing waves at the beach, and the other half ripping gravity bongs and rocking out to Black Sabbath somewhere in a dark and dingy basement.
CHIPP TERWILLIGER - Portland Mercury

Vancouver's Cult Babies describe themselves as Rosemary's Baby meets Baby Muppets. Silly, I know, and they know it too - look at the pic above. But one thing that isn't silly is Off To See The Lizard, the five-piece's new EP. Starting with the woozy, lethargic yet massive psych warble 'Garbage People', I felt like I was listening to Kurt Vile doing The Beatles covering Bobby 'Boris' Pickett at his most monster-mashing. 'On A Roll' is more straightforward in is cosmic tripping, but that organ and Theremin sound is so killer that you will go with it. The title track really hits the Black Angels dirge hard, and the live recording makes total sense here. 'Fuck Money' is a lot of fun, a wall of altered states; 'Conspiracy Dog' is gangly yet tightly-wound and deranged; and 'Yes We Cannibal' marches out, a hallucinogenic funeral procession into the mind. Great stuff. - Sonic Masala

Playing support for the evening were local Vancouverites Cult Babies, who play a spacey and buoyant form of psychedelic rock. Incorporating a theremin and charming organ tones, Cult Babies treat their music to plenty of wonky little hooks, such as on “Minokawa,” which ebbs and flows with a haunting resonance similar to that of the Black Angels. Psychedelic music entails a focus on the fringe; Cult Babies show refreshing originality with a “Third Sound” effect of a theremin and a frantic balance of rock, psych and catchy hooks. With pounding drum fills and tweaked out guitar solos allocate a wildness that drags dreamy 60’s inspired pop out of the garage and into the sunshine, Cult Babies are a curious find in a city with an up and coming psych scene. - Concert Addicts

Next up we’re off to Vancouver, British Columbia & to the epic ‘Cult Babies’. They released their debut album this month entitled ‘Off To See The Lizard’ & we’ve chosen a track from that release called ‘On A Roll’. - Primal Music Blog

LOCAL label Furious Hooves is throwing a little shindig to welcome two stellar touring bands to Savannah.

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Cult Babies make a drowsy kind of fuzzy psych. The languid static of songs like “Garbage People” transforms into a Zombies-style anthem of love, harmonies and organ buzzing underneath huge, splashy drums.

Released just a few weeks ago, Off to See the Lizard is rollicking, good fun pairing slacker vocals with dreamy, trippy instrumentation. - Connect Savannah

This fuzzy psych number swirls so much it puts you in a daze. From Cult Babies upcoming ‘Off to See the Lizard’ album. - Ride The Tempo

Cult Babies’ self released EP threads metric tonnes of instrumentation and vocals into one magnetic strip. These sounds roll between the permutations on top of the steady and droning crashes of the drummer, whose name is strangely difficult to find. Where some bands might gladly jam into the double digits with melodies as hypnotic as these, Cult Babies keep their songs nice and concise, making for some of the most stylized restraint I’ve ever heard. The lush instrumentation and vaguely repetitive lyrics create an almost cinematic atmosphere where everything disappears at times into the underlying (and almost danceable) Western-Gothic dirge so that it’s a shock when the album ends. Makes you wish you could just — I don’t know — join a cult and never go back to the real world. - Weird Canada

Though mired in a campy concept, the fledgling Cult Babies could foreseeably bring in a bunch of true believers with their self-titled, six-song debut. While vocalist Hasan Li’s previous project, Bleating Hearts, played things crystalline, Cult Babies generally veer away from gentle baroque melodies to instead serve up amp-cranked psych rock incantations practically reeking of pot smoke and cedar-scented incense.

A dirtied-up bass-and-guitar melody keeps things raunchy from the jump on opener “Minokawa”, but it’s a spindly guitar solo that ultimately soars skyward like the mythical bird from which the song takes its name. A gothic organ, meanwhile, eerily ushers us into “Good Death”, last rites for a blood-hungry neighbourhood hound that likewise reminds us that we’re all gonna die.

Fittingly, a sample of filmmaker Carey Burtt’s subversive how-to instructional video for cult leaders, “Mind Control Made Easy”, is threaded into the devotional “Cult Baby Blues”, where Li promises to stay devoted to a zealot, even if the other sheep up and leave. With a quick and catchy collection holding true to the fuzzed-out-and-freaky tenets of psych rock, band members may be hoping genre diehards will feel the same way about Cult Babies. - Georgia Straight

Early in 2012, some of the members of the newly formed Cult Babies issued an album as part of the folk rock ensemble Bleating Hearts. The group became a staple of the local live circuit, but eventually disbanded, with a handful of the players later reconvening under a new name and with a new sound.

Cult Babies’ newly released self-titled EP — available on cassette or digitally through Bandcamp — is steeped in doom and reverb, with fuzzed-out psych riffs brushing up against trippy synth textures and gorgeous group harmonies. Suffice to say, it’s a big change from the organic, horn-driven drama of Bleating Hearts.

The musicians were in the midst of an extensive U.S. tour when BeatRoute contacted them via email to gain some insight into the new sound and find out exactly who is in the band. Rather than send back traditional answers, they responded with a series of cryptic limericks, which we’ve opted to publish in full.

BeatRoute: Why did you guys decide to stop being Bleating Hearts and start being Cult Babies?

Cult Babies: There is no ending

And there is no beginning.

Bears die, larvae hatch.

BR: After Bleating Hearts, did you intentionally change up your sound? What influenced the change?

CB: You cannot make jams

With only just one berry.

Collaboration.

BR: Is Cult Babies just Hasan Li, Layla Gaïb and Michelle Furbacher? Who plays what? Is anyone else playing with you?

CB: Who are these people?

We have no identity.

We are family.

BR: Tell me about your tape. Where/how/when did you record it?

CB: At home we feel safe.

Instructional videos.

Last fucking minute.

BR: What’s with the shrine on the cover of your tape? Where is it from?

CB: Everyone has junk.

Everybody needs a shrine.

You can make one too.

BR: “Cult Baby Blues” features a clip from some sort of a cult leader instructional tape. Where does the sound bite come from and why did you decide to use it?

CB: What is copyright?

Stealing from YouTube is art.

Talk to our lawyer.

BR: “All Confused” sounds very different from anything you’ve done before. What inspired that song?

CB: A horse in the herd

Can trot at a different pace.

We are all confused.

BR: What are Cult Babies’ future plans?

CB: Cover of BeatRoute.

Opening for Japandroids.

Lollapalooza.

Cult Babies’ self-titled EP is available now.

By Alex Hudson - BeatRoute

Sometimes it's hard to standout in an eight-piece band. That's perhaps why Bleating Hearts offshoot Cult Babies have stripped-down their sound — and size — for their self-titled EP, which the band released today (October 3) on Bandcamp.

Produced in part by BC-based indie messiah Jay Arner, the Hasan Li-fronted record oozes with West Coast surf rock "Good Death", Sabbath-inspired shredder-y "Minokawa" and dream-y soundscapes.

Hear it for yourself by listening to the six-song EP in the player below. And if you like sushi and rock'n'roll (and really, who doesn't), check out Vancouver's Simply Delicious Restaurant tonight for some tasty maki and even tastier tunes courtesy of Cult Babies, Jay Arner and Watermelon. See the Facebook event for all the info. - Exclaim

The members of Cult Babies used to play in Bleating Hearts, but now they make songs that are far more psychedelically fuzzy and reverb-soaked. They just released a self-titled six-track tape, which is available to stream below. - Chipped Hip

???????????Cult Babies?bandcamp?????????Cult Babies EP?
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????/?????????????????????????????????????????#1 "Minokawa"?????????????????????#2 "Good Death"?????(??????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????#3 "Wait"???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????#6 "All Confused"????????????????????????????????EP??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Jay Arner??????? - Forgotten Hall

Vancouver psychedelic outfit Cult Babies' debut EP is a solid listen. Bloated with garage fuzz, sublime vocal harmonies, and whirling synths over six compact tracks, Cult Babies offer an accessible psychedelic sound devoid of twenty-minute instrumental freak-outs and egregious organ love. Their moderation, lush arrangements, and execution of harmonies make them standout when compared to the other psych acts I've come across this year. The others I never bothered to spin multiple times, but this EP is on its tenth trip.

There's supposedly a cassette available (want), but I don't see a link anywhere. Maybe later?
- Ground Floor Go

'Tis the season for some spooky psychedelic garage-rock, and Cult Babies is the band to celebrate with. Cult Babies released their self-titled, six-track EP on Bandcamp this month, and the noise will appeal to fans of Tame Impala, Oracular Spectacular-era MGMT and, very aptly, Cults. Cult Babies employ vocal harmonies and keyboards to create ambient, hypnotic songs.

Though very little is to be gleaned about Cult Babies via the Interwebs, Cult Babies may earn the group more attention than they’ve received so far. Each of the six songs has its own distinct sound, which can be a difficult feat for many young artists.

“Minokawa” is the first track on the EP, sounding like a grungy adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera.” A habit of Cult Babies is to repeat their lyrics like a chant, incorporated here with a chorus of voices that begins to sing, “Oh, we gotta go,” over and over again. The result is an ensnaring song with some tints of psychedelia and an urge to dance wildly.

Following “Minokawa” is “Good Death,” which heavily features acid-rock keyboarding and vocal harmonies. Its lyrics sound like Halloween feels—creepy, but still a party. The keyboard brings to mind a church organ, keeping with the band’s religious themes. The rhythmic delivery of the vocals is very pleasing. The male singer has a talented voice, and it mixes very well with the instrumentation in the song.

“Wait” and “Cult Baby Blues” are both great songs in their own right. A horn is featured in “Wait,” and the lyrics are beautiful. “Wait, wait, wait / Wait until prophecies fall into patterns on the wall / Wait until all is sorrow / Wait for you, wait / Wait for you, wait.”

The song is hauntingly sweet in its combination of pleasant instrumentation and disturbing lyricism. At several points in the EP, the male singer sounds like Paul Banks of Interpol, and the similarity is apparent in “Wait.”

“Cult Baby Blues” is fun and fast, but the lyrics are—believe it or not—unsettling. The song begins with a man calmly and clearly saying, “Don’t you want devoted followers who leave their families for you? / Give their money to you? / Give their bodies to you? / Give up their lives for you? / Consider you God / and will kill for you?” A woman’s voice responds, “I love you.” It’s weird and very cult-y.

The lyrics discuss death and commitment to another person, pondering what would happen if the singer just played dead. He sings, “I’ll just hold in my breath / and I’ll try not to move / Oh to give you a scare / Oh to know that you care.” Cults can be dangerous, kids.

“Pescadores” is an interesting style change, with tambourines and long, somewhat slurred vocal deliveries. The song may be the EP’s weakest song, as the vocal harmonies aren’t as good as they are in previous songs. The track is not nearly as energized or hypnotic as the rest of the EP.

The final track, “All Confused,” features lead female vocals and sounds as though it’s playing through a thick fog. This haziness could be representative of the confusion that follows emerging from a cult, like the "all confused" Manson family. This song sounds the most like the work of the band Cults, though Cult Babies might be just a teensy bit better.

Cult Babies certainly have the chops to become bigger than they currently are. Who knows, maybe they’ll have a Wikipedia page by the end of the month!

- Acorn.com

Opening band Cult Babies’ first song rolled over the crowd at LanaLou’s like an ethereal mist thickening into a fog as singer/guitarist Hasan Li’s hypnotic voice rose above the echoing guitars and keyboard. The lo-fi sound oscillated somewhere between Sigur Ros and Black Mountain’s psychedelic side. “I’m going to live forever, ” Li repeated over the crescendo of “Good Death,” one of two songs available on their Bandcamp page.
Cult Babies closed their set by ripping into the stoner-rock sludge master riff that opened “Minokawa,” a song sharing the name of a great bird from Bagobo legend who lived above the sky and once swallowed the moon. Like its namesake, the song’s reverberations threatened to consume the crowd as Li told us everything we’ll ever want to do.
- Discorder

Get to know Vancouver with Cult Babies, Morning Coup, Poor Form, and more.

Vancouver music (and Nardwuar) focused institutions Mint Records and CiTR 101.9 FM have teamed up for fourth time in as many years to bring you the newest in their series of joint compilations showcasing the best of rising and risen West Coast acts: CiTR Pop Alliance Vol. 4.

The fourth edition of the Pop Alliance series boasts fresh coastal talent from groove psychonauts Cult Babies, pop dreamer Morning Coup, and punk firebrands Poor Form, among many others. The vinyl edition of the comp in a limited edition of 500 also features two exclusive songs from Ora Cogan and The Shilohs. - AUX