I’d love to be who I thought i’d be by now is the title of Texan LA-based singer Bailey Baum’s debut album, accompanied by a ten minute video shot in Oklahoma featuring multiple songs from the project. The title comes from the mind of a mid twenty-something looking back at their childhood dreams and tying in that idea of what they imagined themselves as an adult. The album cover depicts Baum on a dirt bike as well as numerous scenes in the video, a nostalgic call to her days as a kid riding a dirt bike dreaming about becoming a singer.

The track “In Between” is an indie alt-pop influenced tune that breathes a melancholic coming of age tone. In the music video, Baum is riding on a truck, hair breezing in the wind. “In Between” feels like the forefront of I’d love to be who I thought i’d be by now with the title being sung in its catchy embrace. Baum has a vision of blending nostalgic symbolism like her dirtbike and color popping Y2K outfits and hair styles against the backdrop of Oklahoma country. It’s bold for an independent artist to release a music video that is ten minutes long, genius in its distinctiveness and ability to bring meaning and life to multiple songs.

The intro song “happy and sad” opens up the video encapsulating the album’s message with a surreal electronic infused quality – “life is complicated / love is complicated / time is complicated / always complicated why? / happy and sad at the same time.” Baum’s sonic influences are diverse and can be heard throughout the project whether she is playing with that electronic pop production like on the hypnotic “Lonely Looking” or the energetic and catchy “Slide,” or the flowery bedroom pop infused “Loose Laces” – where unrequited love is presented through a creative idiom – “I don’t mean to be the one to trip and fall but I don’t mind if you’re the one to chase me / I don’t wanna be the first to fall it’s like I always run around with loose laces.”

“Easy to Find” is dreamy lovesick pop candy and “flowers and a smoothie” is perfect for lounging at a coffee shop. “a boy named june” brings its own swagger with its spacey chorus, heavy drum and lyrics like “you act like the nicest but you’re full of it / and I’m sure that you’ll take that as a compliment.” “Novo” is a lofi tune with liquid DnB and R&B elements with entrancing lyrics “but it’s you who caught my attention.” “Blonde”, is a full circle moment for the album using dreamy production elements similar to the opening track.

Bailey Baum’s I’d love to be who I thought i’d be by now is a promising debut album with strong concept and appealing visuals that blend well with its refreshing liquid drum and bass pop production. Baum’s use of symbolism through visuals and objects seen throughout her video showcase the album’s tie of childhood day dreaming to adult reality. Her bike as her vehicle of transportation through the windy roads of the uncalculated emotions that accompany that journey of adolescence.

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