Faves of 2024: Caity Baser - "Still Learning"

Starting a series of posts about my favourite albums of 2024, Caity Baser's pop-showcase "Still Learning" kicks us off...

I’m going to talk a little bit about how much I really, really like love the two Lady Sovereign albums. I’m not going to go overboard because I may save talking about them for Potential Future Content; but let it be known that from Love Me or Hate Me from Public Warning to The Cure sampling So Human from Jigsaw I’ve loved that pop-rap sound that doesn’t really venture into hip-hop, but straddles a fine line between that and pop.

The only Lady Sovereign single to hit the top 10 was a remix of 9 to 5 by the Ordinary Boys, which added a lot more ska-elements to it alongside the pop-rap. Alongside a giving-no-effs attitude, there’s a just a layer of current-era coolness of the time that oozes from it. Even if perhaps retrospectively, the appearance of Preston throws a more humorous reaction than it did back then.

I've got a massive, massive soft spit for this pop rap sound. It's addictive. I can't explain it. It’s probably why, on the day I write this, Caity Baser’s I’m A Problem has ended up topping my most-played song of the year. I suspect that when Last.fm throws it’s year-in-review on New Year’s Day, then it’ll still be there.

There’s a strange sonic lineage that can be traced from Lady Sovereign’s song to I’m A Problem. There’s brass, there’s catchy choruses, there’s that DGAF attitude and it’s done in a style that’s matching the current times. It’s a potential time capsule for 2024.

I think in the long run, I’m A Problem is the better song, and kicks off the great mixtape that is Still Learning from Baser. It’s bold, brass, loud and captures the personality of the artist immediately. It’s a mission statement that lead this campaign for the album mixtape.

That last word. It’s a “mixtape” rather than an “album”. This is something that was discussed a lot during the Charli XCX episode of the podcast with Martyn & Abi from Dork Magazine. Where it doesn't feel like an ‘album’ but a collection of songs that showcase what Baser can do. An extended EP if you will. On first glance it may appear like an album, but it’s a sampler, it’s the capping of an era of her career trajectory. I see it similar to a former fave-of-a-year of mine, The Yearbook by Baby Queen, which collects a few songs together ready for the next stage.

Because it’s not fully new material. There’s songs here from last year’s EP Thanks For Nothing, See You Later, (X&Y and Pretty Boys). Mixed in with a few singles. I don’t think I fully understand the mixtape/album comparison, but as Martyn and Abi discussed with Charli XCX, it offers more freedom, less stress and attempts to try out new ideas. Rappers do them all the time, so why not the pop world?

In terms of the mixtape, it covers quite a few different aspects of Baser’s abilities as a singer. Which does offer more range than the initial Sovereign comparison does, as we go to nearly-a-ballad Oh Well and Everything All At Once. We get quite a few humorous pop songs like Why Can’t I Have Two? (2468) as well as the showgirl influenced…um, Showgirl. There’s variation on sound and ability here and it’ll be interesting to see what sticks out from these songs.

It does give the mixtape a slightly disjointed feel at times. The older songs, as great as they are, feel like they’re there to pad out the run time of the mixtape to go over half an hour. With their play counts totalling the total amount of the other songs combined - it’s pretty stark to see.

Going back to the track-listing of the newer songs; they work well. They’re catchy. They stick in the memory and the fit into the mould of the 2000s-album sound that some of them reference. Grow Up, which nestles nicely in the third quarter of the album, has that “priming for the last run of songs” feel to it. It’s a song about telling someone to grow up (surprisingly) but it doesn’t erupt into full energy or anger but offers a more introspective view on the idea. With the music slowly building with more elements brought in with a sudden drum-machine break that works well, but resists turning into a Max Martin-like production riot.

Still Learning dives into what feels like UK Garage-influenced revival in places. It’s not as overt as piri and tommy as an example, but there’s parts of the percussion that sound like they would be played on MTV Base in the year 2000. It’s a period of time that was cut short in it’s short life, and I strangely miss it. So it’s something that’s very welcome.

The mixtape winds up with self-love anthem Choose Me, stating that Baser has an idea who she is and is comfortable with herself. This feels like it also provides a meta-commentary on her career to date, and a cap on the aforementioned stage of her career.

I'm not sure what 2025 will bring for Baser, but there has been references from her about albums in the works. I suspect that if there is one coming next year, it'll be in the second half of the year. But I can't wait.

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