McBaise - Wrongderful (2025) Hi-Res

A cool swagger pervades through the music of McBaise, the multi-talented French musician, illustrator and director from Cannes. Often, his music sends me right back to my coming-of-age days in the 1980s.

Wrongderful starts with the smooth ‘Never‘, all wobbly bass and early eighties funk, though it would be churlish to simply pigeonhole the album as such. While there’s a large sprinkling of Kool and the Gang style sway here, somehow the sultry rhythm of ‘Never‘ is not a million miles off Blue‘s ‘All Rise‘ either, and, perhaps more surprisingly, some moments on the record remind me a little of Japan too. And ‘Cold Cuts‘ begins a little like The Style Council‘s ‘Long Hot Summer‘ but soon evolves into something like a jazz-funk odyssey. It’s difficult not to swing your shoulders from side to side – McBaise has got the groove, there’s no doubt about that.

‘Alice‘ feels like a trip. Maybe even a hit. Not that I’ve ever known what a ‘hit’ feels like, but it’s certainly how I imagine it would feel. It’s all warm synths and a vocal that calls to mind Fiction Factory, of ‘Feels Like Heaven‘ fame, while ‘Hooray‘ could easily be the soundtrack to taking a midwinter break and catching some rays on the beach from the glorious sunshine and a pleasant breeze. You want to relax? Stick this on and all your stresses will be unceremoniously sent packing out the back door.

‘Moon‘, on the other hand, is a very different beast. The only word that properly describes it, I guess, is “wonky” – but in a good way – as this is mindfuck psychedelia and arguably Wrongderful’s finest moment, of which there are many. It feels gloriously askew, like your head is spinning. Yet it’s still utterly, unashamedly calming in its manner. It’s weird, to be frank, but it’s also brilliant.

It’s kind of a relief when ‘Guapo‘ comes in straight afterwards, with its easy, soulful flow, even if I am left somewhat baffled by its lyrics: “What a meal, half a wheel / Just enough to be in pain / My shirt is covered with stains / Bring the cognac to my veins.”

Anyway, yeah, you get the gist now, I guess – this is, above all, an incredibly chilled out record, perhaps too much so, which would be my only criticism really, as it can be rather one-paced, so unless you’re going to be listening to Wrongderful while lying on your bed late at night, it’s probably best to dip in here and there. But if you do, there’s a real treasure trove of delights to be found in there.