BABE by Naomi Dawes Review

Originally written for published on redbrick.me

If you haven’t heard of Naomi Dawes, you aren’t alone but you sure are missing out. The Birmingham-based artist is still making her way in the indie music scene but her 1.4k Instagram followers are certainly pushing her in the right direction. Dawes specialises in the self-proclaimed genre of ‘ethereal indie soul with a dash of hip-hop’ and while this may be a self-given label, it sums up Dawes’ art perfectly. 

'BABE' is Naomi Dawes’ newest single; it provides an enjoyable 3:29 that is very true to its genre. Dawes pairs her deep, sultry voice with a heavy chord progression accompanied by upbeat percussion. The song is on the faster side of Dawes’ music, relating most closely to her 2024 single ‘Come Down’. Much like ‘Come Down’, ‘BABE’ opens with the use of breath work, one of the things that draws me most to Dawes’ music. ‘BABE’ also leans back into the intimate, sexual narrative which she interestingly fluffs up with supernatural influence, something she momentarily leaves behind for something more personal with her previous release ‘The Alleviation of Passion and Pain’. 

Adhering strongly to Dawes’s morals, ‘BABE’ follows a very feminine empowerment narrative. The protagonist poses herself as a dominant, alluring and persuasive character as she discusses her attraction and passion for “babe”. She does this in a way that pokes fun at gender stereotypes in relationships with the pre-chorus ‘just come for me you’re ready / I mean just come to me I’m ready’. 

One of my favourite things about Naomi Dawes is that her vocals are flawless, and what you hear through your phone speakers is exactly what comes out when she’s performing live. I’d be thrilled to hear ‘BABE’ performed live for this reason exactly, but also the addition of the performance only does more to turn the song into an experience. If you have never given Naomi Dawes a try, I would highly recommend giving her previous songs a listen ahead of ‘BABE’s release.