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Running in the Gutter”, BABAL’S 13th album, the 1st to be released on Fruits de Mer label Friends of the Fish, definitely hits the ground running and keeps you locked in to their immersive world of intense lyricism and potent musical ideas.
The resulting album is a beautifully crafted selection of hypnotic and rhythmic pieces, each delving deeply into the world we think we know.
BABAL have come up with an immersive, yet accessible blend of songs that illustrate the band’s superlative improvisational skills, whilst still retaining cohesive musical ideas that weave poetry and dynamic vocalizations that are central to the band’s alternative core.
Opening track “One Big Family” is a full-on attack on social media; the rise of the biggest brain-washing experiment in history; “eye sockets sore, mind in chaos, thoughts flying round, like a bird in a cage, manic with facts and terrible rage! Nowhere to go, I can’t turn the page!”.
“The Best Restaurants” is a sharp take on poverty consciousness and opposing huge wealth, and a vain hope that religions may save us, but very probably not.” All I saw was a crowd of starving souls, chewing at their wishes”
“The World that we Know” is a plea for the World to wake up to the real possibility of extinction, “I wanna green world! I wanna green world! I want it to smell good; I don’t want it to stink like it does at the moment! Open your arms and let it in!”.
“Cake Music” is a high-energy satire on the virtues of neo-liberalism, “recycle now and do your bit! Be a match when the fires are lit; move a little closer to the cholera pit! Ha Ha!”
“We shall be Fables” is a sweetly enchanting song that lulls the listener, yet reminds us ultimately of our mortality (one of Karen’s recurring lyrical themes), “life is eating us up, we shall be Fables, when the noon-tide beckons and the reaper reckons; we shall be Fables” It ain’t gonna last forever……..
Title track, “Running in the Gutter” is a truly majestic love song, poignant yet hopeful that love can still make the difference in all our lives; “you won’t applaud, it has a drive, it’s not a lot till love arrives! Love is not a number, it lives, it dies, running in the gutter, it doesn’t strive”. We can all get there, no matter how far down in the gutter we are.
“Running in the Gutter” is available on the Fruits de Mer label, Friends of the Fish, on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming. Pre sales from 1st July, release date August 8th 2025.
BABAL will be launching the album at the Son Of Sardonicus festival of Psychedelic Delights on Saturday August 2nd, the Cellar, 25/26 Quay Street, Cardigan, SA43 1HU. Advance copies of “Running In the Gutter” will be available at the festival.
“Could it be argued that Crass are joining force with Cardiacs to deliver a Beefheart take on Byrne? Possibly, but instead of attempting to work out the influences and wonder how to describe them, instead say this is classic BABAL with the band putting their troubles behind them and being at full strength and power. Long may they continue as for prog to survive it needs to be as uncompromising and challenging as this.”
Kev Rowland: Prog Archives (author of the Progressive Underground vols 1-5).

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