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Baird is no stranger to pushing his sound in unique directions, and the Baltimore native does exactly that with his A/B singles, “In Dreams / Anais.” The pair of singles differ in structure from his 2018 released “space rock” album BAIRDSONGS VOL. 1, stripping back many of the computer generated sounds   to reveal a sound more truthful to the instrumentation. Baird is no stranger to reinventing his output, as his side project Soundcloud account flybear, a collection of electronic production and various remixes, will attest to.  

Baird shared with us,  

“I’m trying to be a bit simpler. I’m trying to let the songs speak for themselves more and not hide too much with a bunch of crazy production tricks.”  

The release of “In Dreams / Anais” acts as an A-side and B-side release, commonly from the days of 7-inch vinyl records. In typical fashion, the A-side single takes the lead to capture the full attention as the “hit” single, with the B-side acting as a secondary song. Both songs sound as if they were meant for the vinyl era, with the audio sounding ever-so-slightly fuzzy, time-stamped with some level of vintage quality. “These two [singles] play continuously so it’s kind of my idea of the streaming era version of an A/B single,” Baird explained, as the upbeat “In Dreams…” ends on a four count that leads directly into the more somber and sincere “Anais.” Both tracks feature Baird in his bare honesty, as he personally provided all instrumentation parts on both tracks, save for the looped drums on “In Dreams…” and calling in a friend to play cello for “Anais.”

“In Dreams…” opens with a tempo-setting drum loop while Baird plays the warped melody that makes the base of the single. Described as a “summer love song,” Baird’s poetic and sweet lyrics feel fit for a '60s roller rink scene from an American pop culture movie. Harmonies through the chorus take on a Doo-Wop feel, with Baird providing backup vocals and plenty of wavy “oooh”’s that will surely be sung along to. As “In Dreams…” bops along to a close, the lyrics point the way into “Anais,” as what seemed like a cute summer love seems to turn into something a bit out of reach.

“Anais” finds Baird in a different mental state, and the music follows suit. Where “In Dreams…” found drums to dance to and a singable chorus, “Anais” feels more personal and intimate. Building from Baird’s strummed guitar chords, cello is added in key areas to give “Anais” depth while Baird delivers heartfelt lyrics. Even if this single stylistically differs from “In Dreams…,” “Anais” completes the thought that the A-side single started and allows it to come full circle.  

While each single can stand on its own, the full magnitude is felt when they’re listened in succession, beginning with the swooning of “In Dreams…” but ending with the more somber message of “Anais.”