Track By Track: Indie Pop Duo Ginkgo Balboa Breaks Down Self-Titled Debut EP

Ginkgo Balboa is the latest act to hit the wildly creative, ever-blooming Los Angeles indie pop scene.

Formed in August 2019, the duo, which unites Shelton, CT native Mike Bednarsky and Indianapolis-born Benjamin Masbaum, celebrated the launch of their self-titled debut EP this summer. Releasing music during a pandemic has been an unexpected challenge that artists have had to confront in 2020, but despite their new status, Ginkgo Balboa has managed to do it successfully, garnering Internet acclaim and constructing a devoted and continually growing fan base on Spotify.

Comprising six tracks, Ginkgo Balboa is an R&B-flecked collection that shimmers with ‘80s-inspired synths and glows with warm, electronica-driven melodies, ushering listeners into a hazy state where dreams and nostalgia collide. Check out the band’s thoughts on the EP in their track by track break down for Musical Notes Global below.

1. “Gut Reactions”

Mike Bednarsky: As one of those people who prefers to listen to an album from start to finish, I appreciate a strong opening track. Maybe that’s not important in today’s streaming culture but it’s still cool when it happens organically, which it did with “Gut Reactions”. It’s more rock-oriented than the other songs on the EP, but with its buzzy nature and pinballing of our voices, it really sets the tone [of the album].

2. “IDK Your Dog”

Benjamin Masbaum: This song deals with the complexities that may occur internally with committing to being single and dating. Terms like “Why do I always have to creep?” where the subject feels as if this aspect of dating life is wearing on him/her but realizes that it’s necessary.

Bednarsky: The little challenges of dating are part of what makes it fun. There are questions that get answered somehow, whether or not you bring attention to them. Are you coming over or should I? How’s parking in your neighborhood? Is your roommate out of town? The most important thing is seeing that person, so the answer to those questions doesn’t really matter, but it’s funny to think about how many nuances there are, especially to a booty call.

3. “The Other Day”

Masbaum: This song was originally written with somewhat morose lyrics but later changed to more upbeat and positive in order to reflect the simple, yet joyful, aura of the music. “When you text, when you call, something’s gonna happen this time” originally was “You don’t text, you don’t call, something’s wrong. What is it this time?”.

Bednarsky: It’s a good thing that we re-wrote the lyrics. The song really gets people dancing! I don’t remember if this was after my first draft, but during the summer of 2019, I was writing to the instrumental while visiting a friend in San Jose [California], and his girl had a display of fine china in their kitchen. I kept imagining, in the kitchen where I was writing, a couple being reunited with each other after weeks apart, so hot and heavy in that moment that they knock over and break things in the process. Everything took off from there.

4. “Pick-up Lines”

Masbaum: This song borrows elements from a specific 1980s sound. Think Madonna or Duran Duran. This was not a coincidence. The slap bass is rare in Ginkgo Balboa’s music but just seemed right, given the song’s throwback style. Without it, the song would have taken on a completely different sound. I think that if a particular song is begging for a particular sound, then that song knows what it wants and will let me know. I like to go with what the song wants.

5. “The Taste of Colors”

Bednarsky: This is the very first song we worked on together. There are so many moving parts to it that at one time it was hard to listen to. Our brilliant engineer, Johnny Yono, cleaned it up quite a bit in the mastering process, but for months, we’d literally get headaches from listening to it over and over again.

Masbaum: Lyrically, I channeled some of my past relationships and how they affect me today. “I can’t believe that you’re gone, and I don’t even miss you”. That might be telling of someone who, despite being heartbroken, is relatively OK. Time has passed and, after working on myself, I have come to realize that I have grown. That means, this song can lend to a positive attitude of empowerment. Or, it could be a lie. “I don’t even miss you” might be another overt jab at the one who broke my heart, but perhaps, it’s a coping mechanism. It could go either way, and in my experience, it has.

6. “God Save the Beauty Queen”

Bednarsky: Just like what I said before about an album having a strong start, I think the last song on an album has to tie a bow around everything. As the longest song on the EP, “God Save the Beauty Queen” is a grandiose end track. It escalates both musically and vocally. Lyrics like “sippin’ on mimosas, with her nose and her pinky up” paint the picture of a superficial, high-status woman that the singer has been seeing. He’s repulsed by his own taste, but doesn’t depart from her. The water analogies throughout the song articulate that feeling, as well as compliment the ebb and flow of the music itself.

Masbaum: Musically, I feel like this song had to have an epic tone. Something to bring the album back around and leave the listener satisfied. It’s like both the climax and the cigarette after sex. The slinky guitars and vocals throw in a ‘90s R&B flavor. The disjointed drum and bass in the beginning mix well with the synth’s drunken laziness slipping in and out of consciousness. This adds to just the right waft of experimentation to make the song unique. It is the sweet and sour sauce of the album, and I’m a sauce guy.

Stream Ginkgo Balboa below.