Baroda

Frontman Neil Goss, bassist Michael Klontzakis and drummer Chris Parker survived life’s earliest challenges together; their oblique worldview, odyssey of discovery and adolescence all feeding into the material which eventually become their seminal grassroots debut record ‘Jump On In, Hold Your Breath’, which they self released on grass roots support in December 2021. It was an unlikely triumph. Recorded in bedrooms and garages on a DIY budget, ‘Jump On In…’ channelled influences as far reaching as ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ era Arctic Monkeys, to all the pomp, stomp and riotous energy of Iggy Pop, Bowie and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Whilst their chemistry was formed deep into childhood, the propulsion of Baroda’s music was a storyboard constantly being rewritten until the perfect script revealed itself. Their new single ‘Just Like Heaven’ shares only a name with the Cure classic, instead calling on influences from the post Britpop fallout era for inspiration; think Thom Yorke but more lovelorn, or Fran Healy recounting those flowers in the window . When Goss injured his hand and struggled to play his beloved six string, the piano provided surprising solace, resulting in their own ‘Just Like Heaven’, a bold, brave step into the world of piano pop-gems. Goss poured everything he had into a track radiating light, positivity and joy. “It's a song about a connection with someone so strong, just being around them is the greatest feeling ever.”