Dijon Duenas has always felt like an artist trying to solve the problem of what a song should be. On his 2021 debut “Absolutely,” he experimented with bedroom soul until it felt like something sonically special, Lo-fi in the traditional sense and yet gloriously so. On “Baby,” his sophomore album and his first since becoming a father, the stakes and scope are even stranger. The record is a scrapbook, music that collapses the past. Dijon samples Nas and Bon Iver, mimicking Prince sonically and Frank Ocean vocally.
The opening stretch is strong. “Baby!” sets the tone with a swirl of chopped and glitchy layering, immediately signaling that this record is as much about texture as it is about melody. “Another Baby!” takes the energy further with an infectious beat and some of Dijon’s most playful vocal performances to date, proving he can write something undeniably catchy, even when it sounds half-improvised. “HIGHER!” is the most maximalist of the three, featuring vocal-tinged layering and a bassline that nearly consumes the track whole. It’s exhilarating, if a little overwhelming.
Elsewhere, the album stumbles. “FIRE!” feels disjointed, never quite locking into the groove its heavier beats promise. “Rewind” starts with guitar strums that veer uncomfortably close to Christian Rock before course-correcting. Shorter interludes like “(Freak It)” and “(Referee)” show flashes of strong ideas, good guitar work, smart vocal chops, but cut off just as they get interesting.
Still, there are high points that prove Dijon is operating at a level few peers can match. “Yamaha” builds beautifully, its 80s-leaning piano and vocal sampling pushing the song into an emotional zenith. “Automatic” is both weird and euphoric; it’s wall-of-sound production, making it an immediate favorite off the LP. “Kindalove” closes the record on a strong note, borrowing from a song he previously worked on already this year, “Day One” by Bon Iver, featuring Flock of Dimes and Dijon himself, in a way that feels like a remix.
Is “Baby” better than his debut LP, “Absolutely?” No. The debut remains sharper and more concise. But “Baby” is still an impressive step forward, especially how it blends pop instincts with experimental impulsiveness. Dijon’s latest portfolio work, including collaborations with Mk.gee’s 2024 record “Two Star & the Dream Police” and Justin Bieber, proprietor of the first “Baby,” through his latest record “Swag” and “Swag II,” has truly been put to work in this newest set of songs.
The cover is beautiful and puts the energy of the album into a picture. The highlights (“Yamaha,” “Automatic,” “Kindalove,” “Higher”) are undeniable, and the overall record points towards a future where Dijon’s mix of deconstructed R&B, pop and noise collage could define a lane all its own.
