There are some EPs that sound like a band trying to figure out who they are, and then there are EPs like Baythorne Days, where it feels like everyone walked into the studio, high-fived each other, and collectively decided, “Yep, this is us.”
Jet Lag Motel’s latest release is packed with infectious hooks, crunchy guitars, and enough nostalgic energy to make you want to text your high school friends just to ask if anyone remembers that one parking lot everyone used to hang out in. (You know the one.)
From the opening moments, the record carries an effortless confidence. The production from LIT drummer Taylor Carroll and Nathan Bankston gives every song a glossy, radio-ready punch without sanding off the band’s personality. It feels polished, but never over-polished—the kind of record that’s equally at home blasting through your car speakers with the windows down or serving as the soundtrack to an impromptu kitchen dance party.
The title track, “Baythorne Days,” immediately establishes the EP’s fictional hometown, and honestly…I’d visit. The songs feel like snapshots from different chapters of growing up: awkward crushes, first loves, heartbreak, second chances, and those memories that randomly pop into your head while you’re trying to buy groceries.
“Sorry” is especially charming because it leans into youthful embarrassment with a wink instead of pretending any of us knew what we were doing when we were younger. (Spoiler alert: we absolutely did not.) “I Wanna Know” bottles up the butterflies of new romance, while “Wanting” slows things down just enough to remind listeners that beneath all the big guitars is a band that’s genuinely interested in writing songs with heart.
One of the biggest surprises comes at the end with Jet Lag Motel’s take on INXS’ “Don’t Change.” Covering a beloved classic is always risky—it’s basically the musical equivalent of trying to improve your grandma’s famous cookie recipe—but the band wisely doesn’t try to out-INXS INXS. Instead, they inject enough of their own personality to make it feel like a natural extension of the EP rather than a bonus track tacked on at the last minute.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Baythorne Days is how cohesive it feels. Every track contributes to the larger world the band has created, making the EP play less like a random collection of songs and more like the soundtrack to a coming-of-age movie that somehow doesn’t end with everyone awkwardly slow dancing in a gymnasium. (Although…it probably could.)
Jet Lag Motel clearly found another gear on this release. The chemistry between the musicians feels tighter, the songwriting is more focused, and the confidence is impossible to miss. If this is what the band sounds like now, it’s hard not to get excited about where they’re headed next.
Baythorne Days is catchy, heartfelt, nostalgic, and just plain fun. It reminds us that growing up is messy, memories are weirdly powerful, and sometimes the best songs are the ones that make you smile before you even realize you’re singing along.
Listen to ‘Baythorne Days’ Here
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