I See Them, I See Me

Description

Babehoven, the indie folk duo based in Hudson, NY, made up of Maya Bon and Ryan Albert, returns with their third studio album, “I See Them, I See Me.” Across fourteen tracks that shine with a clear vision, Babehoven has created a new transcendent collection that returns to the heart of what makes music meaningful and life worth living. For the first time in Babehoven’s prolific output — which includes, most recently, “Water's Here In You” in 2024 — Bon and Albert opened the doors to their process, inviting three different engineers to record the songs in four different studios. The all-star lineup includes Sam Evian, Kevin Copeland and Phil Weinrobe, who also co-produced. Much of “I See Them, I See Me” was recorded live with a six-piece ensemble, with Weinrobe instilling the philosophy of “no playback, no headphones and no preparation” to create maximum presence in the room. From the opening track, “You're a Liar,” the band establishes a new palette: an uplifting blend of indie and alt-country that sparkles with slide guitar, hardanger fiddle and a bright vocal accent paying homage to Emmylou Harris and Patsy Cline, with classic folk-rock artists like Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The Band as new touchstones. In 2024, during Babehoven’s first headlining tour, Bon suffered paralysis of the right vocal cord and was told she might never recover. With that in mind, the album resonates like a kind of triumphant fist. While many Babehoven songs rely on intricate cyclical melodies, “I See Them, I See Me” is filled with broad, catchy choruses — crowd-singalong anthems.