Bailey Crone is the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter behind Bathe Alone. Formerly known as Bathe, she released two albums and took a four year break to recenter and begin work on her forthcoming album, “Last Looks”.
Calm Down is the third single from the project and is inspired by her experience with panic attacks. With her ethereal vocals, shimmering guitars swirl with a cascade of reverb and crashing drums in this dreamy atmosphere. Everything rises and falls only to soar higher and plunge back down again, mimicking a panic attack. It’s all the more impressive considering she plays each instrument. Speaking on the single, Bathe Alone says:
“‘Calm Down’ isn’t just a song, it’s a concept piece full of subliminal messages and sonic metaphors for panic attacks. Panic attacks are something I’ve struggled with for the better part of 5 years and each one feels as real as the first. It’s not something you get used to. Something I wanted to convey in the song is that panic attacks aren’t an “on/off” sort of thing. There’s no switch. There’s a ramp up period as well as a ramp down period. The guitar melodies do a lot of descending and ramping up/screaming as if you’re in the peak of an attack. The drums never quit the entire time, and bring this sense of adrenaline that one feels during an attack or even simmering right before an attack. And at the end of the song, the whole things gets quieter and quieter and brings the listener on a journey with to experience a sense of peace and calm. This was the song I made that made me realize I could make an entire album about mental health awareness. ‘Calm Down’ will appear on ‘Last Looks’, my debut commercial LP coming this summer.”