Baby Shakes

Remember in Happy Days how The Fonz used to punch the jukebox and a song would magically start playing? Well, if The Fonz had really had the magic touch, every time he hit the jukebox a Baby Shakes song would’ve blasted out.

The First One revels in 50 years of rock’n’roll and delights in twanging guitars, simple riffs and the equally simple emotions of high school romances. These songs are deliciously short, sweet and no matter how many times you’ve heard similar tales of infatuation (“I met a nice boy, he caught my eye, I knew right away it was love at first sight”) or wide-eyed ambition (“I’m on my way, tell the world, I’m gonna break out of the city”) Baby Shakes always sound fresh.

This NYC-based trio's easy pop gift and abundant charm show an appreciation of punk, new wave and power pop – Ramones, Buzzcocks, Undertones and Raspberries influences feature; wonderfully, they even cite Protex as an influence – but The First One is really the joyous distillation of half a century of rock’n’roll giddiness.