The Speed Babes Create New Album 'Lets Go Explode' In 18 Hours

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 9, 2015 6:45PM

Jesse Ewan likes a challenge, and with The Speed Babes he took on a bet with some crazy parameters and somehow succeeded in recording an album that sounds far more cohesive than it has any right to be. The result is The Speed Babes' Let's Go Explode, an album recorded in 18 hours on the GarageBand app on Ewan's phone. Guitar, bass and vocals were all live and plugged straight in, while the drums are the GarageBand programmed kit played manually.

Granted, Ewan had somewhat of an advantage when it came to tackling the project. He has a long history as a Chicago audio engineer and has worked the board at Double Door for years, a venue for which he's now also a talent buyer. His experience in a variety of local bands—including Tom Spacey, Lasers And Fast And Shit and American Cosmonaut—shows he's got the chops to move quickly from style to style.

And what is The Speed Babes' style? It's fast, it's loud, it's chunky, it's poppy and it's immediate. While Ewan told us, "the theme kinda involves short attention spans" the music itself leaves a definite mark even as the songs rush by. If catering to short attention spans means packing tunes tight, then this certainly succeeds as an incredibly sonically dense collection. The music might have been composed in a rush and the recording may have been down and dirty but it all works together, inviting repeated listens to reveal new nooks or crannies you missed the last time around.

Check out Let's Go Explode below. We recommend downloading the whole thing and listening to it on the go. Just keep an eye on your speedometer should you throw this in while driving.