Chris Baio is changing direction from Vampire Weekend

Baio is the stage name of Chris Baio, bass player with arena alternative rockers Vampire Weekend. But the music the 31-year-old New Yorker makes as a solo artist is quite a distance from Vampire Weekend’s preppy jangle-pop, writes Ed Power. 

On Baio’s debut album, The Names, he moves briskly from burbling electronica to Eighties-tinged synth pop, singing in a voice between The Human League’s Phil Oakey and David Byrne of Talking Heads. Even if you could care less for Vampire Weekend, it’s an entrancing 40 minutes of rainbow-hued escapism.

“The odds are that for my entire life I will be defined by Vampire Weekend, at least in the eyes of the vast majority of people,” says Baio. “People who know Vampire Weekend — even [hardcore] fans of Vampire Weekend — will, in the overwhelming majority of cases, have no idea I made this record. That’s fine with me. I get it. When I was in college I would go see bands like Interpol. I didn’t know what else they did. I just went to the gig and was none the wiser. I’ve been on the other side of that divide.”

Baio is back in London after a brief American tour. He’s been based in the UK for the past five years; The Names is, in part, a chronicling of his ex-patriate experiences. ‘I Was Born In A Marathon’ is a rumination on American foreign policy and the most political song on the album. Generally, however, he tries to capture the more inchoate aspects of being a stranger in a strange land.

“Identity is a bit of a theme on this record,” he says. “When you leave your country you become aware of your relationship with that country – it’s true of everyone, I would think. I feel more aware of being American outside America. Prior to coming to London I had done plenty of traveling. It’s different when you are actually living abroad. You become a quasi-representative of America.”

He grew up in the middle-class suburb of Bronxville, New York (median family income $200,000). Baio was obsessed with music from childhood, attending his first concert aged seven and performing on stage from nine. He attended the elite Columbia University, sidelining as director of rock at affiliated college rock station WBAR. At Columbia he became friends with the other future members of Vampire Weekend, the band releasing its chart-topping debut 12 months after he graduated with a degree in Russian and Eurasian Regional studies (Vampire Weekend return with a new LP next year).

The biggest challenge going into his solo career was mustering the confidence to sing.

“It required a lot of experimentation, a lot of grunting and making weird noises. I knew that these songs would be put out into the world only if I was able to perform them. It took a long time — in the end, I was really happy with how my voice sounded.”

He understands some Vampire Weekend fans may have rolled their eyes upon hearing he’d made a solo record. The track record of musicians from established bands embarking on extra curricular excursions is less than stellar.

“It isn’t the strongest,” he nods. “It’s totally fine. I get that. The truth is, I found this experience empowering and exciting. I don’t even see it as a solo project in a way — I see it as a world unto itself, that encompasses the music, the artwork, the videos. I used to work in college radio and when I was training people up I would say to them, ‘never forget that when you are on air you have complete control. Even if it’s from 4am to 6am — you are the God of those two hours.’

“I was trying to have the same attitude. This was the only record in the history of music that I had complete control over. I wanted to create something I could love.”

The Names is out now. Baio plays Workman’s Club Dublin, Monday.