REVIEW: The Babe Rainbow—Slipper Imp and Shakaerator (2025)

For their 6th record, they named it after brand of plough used to cut through the harsh Australian terrain. Ok then.

After plans for The Babe Rainbow’s 5th album, The Organic Band appeared to hit the buffers back in 2022, I expected that was it for the Aussie four-piece, with no phyiscal release of that record forthcoming. But hey, here they are again with more sunbaked acid rock for LP No.6. Rescued from obscurity by King Gizzard’s p(doom) imprint (and mixed by KGLW leader Stu Mackenzie), they’re back and firing on all cylinders for your listening pleasure once more.

Everyone seems to routinely bracket Babe Rainbow as psychedelic, but it’s hard to think of the band in this way on the evidence here. Whatever they put out seven, eight years ago, it has evolved into essentially sunny feelgood pop music, with a warm glow and a fuzzy edge. Maybe a tinge of the acid pop, if you will, with flowerly flutes, a smattering of dubby bass and vocals that seem to come from a distant cloud. But really, it all boils down to melodious pop, laced with happy, harmonious hooks and the smell of a doobie on the breeze.

The standout tracks all appear to be on side one (in old money) , which is never a bad thing when you’re trying to get into a new record. Case in point Now and zen, with its yearning air and ethereal vocals, followed by the immensely chilled Sunday, and then the acoustic instrumental beauty of Apollina. The first side also happens to have the poppiest moments, such as the brazenly funky What is Ashwagandha and the ba-ba-ba tastic Long Live The Wilderness. Turns out I’m still a sucker for dumb sequence of ba-ba-ba’s.

I’m admittedly less keen when they go all late-80s slick pop on Like Cleopatra. It’s all a bit too self consciously whiteboy funk for its own good, but your mileage may vary. After the relentless funakthon of When The Milk Flows, the pace naturally steadies for the knowingly chilled Mt Dub, featuring Stu Mackenzie somewhere. It’s your classic mid-album lull, but a welcome change of pace, and one of the record’s strongest tracks.

Just as well, because I’m not so keen on the vacuous Aquarium Cowgirl, while Rainbows End lollops along inconsequentially, before the album closes with the rather lovely Re-ju-ven-ate. On balance, out of the 11 tracks, it’s probably 7 big ticks and 4 frowny faces, which is a decent ratio whether you’re a convert or not.

Babe Rainbow still feel like a band that has way more potential than they sometimes display, but with six elpees now under their belt, a well worked live set would really be something by now. I haven’t actually seen them since they did a low key show on Brighton beach in their early days, so maybe it’s high time they found out what the cold countries are like again. Bring the sunshine!