"The list of "bitchin'" things in music is select: Camaros, summers, pretty lives. Meditative, drone-filled music built on synths, drum machines, and woodwinds usually does not fit the bill. Yet the Chicago trio Bitchin Bajas (possibly named after the late, lamented Subaru coupé utility vehicle) makes a strong case for the bitchin-ness of their aggressively subdued sound. Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, and Dan Quinlivan may not shred, but they can carve, shaping layers, loops, and live instruments into dazzling, dizzying constructions."
"Inland See, the Bajas' ninth album not counting some collaborations and a soundtrack, continues the band's heavy-duty minimalism, with closing track "Graut" clocking in at over 18 minutes while barely breaking a low boil. But immersive, deep-focus grooves have always been just one part of the Baja arsenal. Switched On Ra from 2021, a sleek tribute to avant-garde pianist Sun Ra, made the group's ties to jazz explicit, while 2022's Bajascillators contoured andcondensed their spacious abstractions into tight, descriptive shapes."
Chicago trio Bitchin Bajas builds meditative, drone-filled music from synths, drum machines, woodwinds, loops, and live instruments. Inland See is the group's ninth album and continues a heavy-duty minimalist approach while concentrating earlier expansive methods into tighter elaborations. The closing track "Graut" runs over eighteen minutes and shifts from airy synth chords, fluttery flute, and glassy glissandos into a bright, beat-driven kosmische-style workout. Earlier releases made jazz ties explicit and condensed spacious abstractions into defined shapes. The opening track "Skylarking" pairs violinlike openings with snappy rhythmic pulses, playful synth motifs, nodding bass, and overlapping melodies.
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