Eric Zhang

Brooklyn duo Bathe has released their new Bicoastal project, and they definitely have our full attention.

For months, the musical pair made up of singer Devin Hobdy and guitarist Corey Smith-West has been teasing the 9-track effort, with standouts such as "Sundress" and "Pull Up." But now that Bicoastal is here, it only further cements the duo's status as one to watch.

To be clear, there have been a lot of great new artists releasing music this year. And it's incredible to see so many acts creating and sharing their art after the setbacks of the past year and a half. But Bathe is doing something special, as they weave a spellbinding "surf R&B" sound with an appreciation for their Caribbean roots, honoring Black and Brown culture while carefully addressing toxic masculinity.

"Most creative folks we’ve met in New York have this dream of being ‘Bicoastal’; having a house on both coasts and being able to enjoy the fruits of LA and NYC," says Smith-West. "The album started as an exploration of that concept, but over the course of the pandemic, it ended up being more about seeking solace internally rather than externally. Writing these songs taught us there’s more to feeling free than just traveling.”

Adds Hobdy: "We started the project by writing about the exhilaration you feel at takeoff and the anxieties you pretend to leave on the tarmac. But quarantine molded it into our personal and still unresolved search for home in the things we’ve always known.”

Hear Bicoastal below and keep and definitely eye on Bathe.