I'm kicking off a new series on this blog: the songs I've had on repeat in 2026 — the discoveries that keep me inspired while I'm making my own records. New Music Fridays are sacred around here, and I want to share the best of what I find.
First up: "Slumber Party" by Brigitte Calls Me Baby.
The band is a five-piece from Chicago, formed in 2022 around singer Wes Leavins — a name worth knowing. As a teenager Leavins played Elvis Presley in a touring production of Million Dollar Quartet, and he famously took the band's name from his teenage correspondence with Brigitte Bardot. That old-soul streak runs through everything they do: Leavins sings like a mid-century crooner who wandered into an indie rock band — think Morrissey's drama and The Smiths' romantic sweep, with a little Muse-sized grandeur on top.
"Slumber Party" was released on January 13, 2026 as a preview of their second album, Irreversible (ATO Records, out March 13, 2026), where it sits as track two. It was written by Leavins with guitarist David Rosendahl and bassist Devin Wessels, and the album was recorded largely live with producers Yves and Lawrence Rothman — you can hear that live-wire energy in it. Where their 2024 debut The Future Is Our Way Out announced them, Irreversible is the sound of a band that has toured with Morrissey, Muse, and Fontaines D.C. and come back fearless.
The song itself is pure romantic mischief — an invitation that won't take no for an answer, with my favorite detail buried in the middle of it: "I bought Blue Velvet on a DVD, I brought it to the slumber party." A David Lynch reference as a party move. That's the whole band in one line: vintage, dramatic, and completely sincere about it.
Why this one made my list: they remind me of the Smiths, but they have their own sound — they still share some of the same attributes as the Smiths. Melodic and catchy, too. I can't stop playing it.
— Red Hector
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9rEZzMN0YU
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