Limoncello River

Bio

Ray Sonder and Saxon Gable grew up in sleepy beach towns on Australia’s east coast. Their parents were hippies and rockers. They were spoon fed Nirvana and The Beatles on the car stereo whether they liked it or not. Both self taught musicians, they began writing songs from an early age, evoking the quiet beaches of Byron Bay and the wild Gondwana Rainforest that were their back yards.

By university, they were writing hazy, sun-kissed demos to upload online and burn onto CDs for their friends. Inspired by technicolour, small-town beatniks and surfers, and the romantic soundtracks of their early youth, the foundations of Baby Smith were laid a long time ago. But neither Saxon nor Ray knew each other yet, despite likely crossing paths.

The pair each moved to Berlin from Sydney separately and within two weeks of each other to explore new subcultures and write songs. They met, and soon married, spiritually united by their affection for the whimsical, intimate, deeply melodic sounds of 1960s psychedelia and 1990s Grunge. What followed their creative union was musical exploration and experiments that led to the genesis of Baby Smith in 2023.

Since then, Ray and Saxon have had their foot firmly on the gas, writing, producing, and releasing EP I and EP II. However, there is stark contrast between their early music and their upcoming debut album 'Lately, Love Is Dead'. Written entirely in their Berlin flat using a deliberately stripped-back home setup including dented microphones, a broken mic stand, and a glitching 12-year-old interface, the record trades the sun-kissed haze of their early releases for something darker, sharper and more immediate. The songwriting carries new weight; the production feels urgent and alive. It sounds like the duo have jumped into a whole new sonic universe, and it's catchy as hell!

Thematically, the album wrestles with the human experience at close range: love and loss, self-doubt and self-loathing, fractured relationships, substance abuse within inner circles, and a simmering disillusionment with modern life and the digital status quo. What began without a fixed concept gradually revealed itself as a portrait of a specific, volatile period in their lives.

After releasing the first single, 'Adored', Baby Smith marked a strong start to the campaign, earning support from BBC 6 Music with Deb Grant and Nathan Shepherd, Radio X's John Kennedy, and Triple J, with Home and Hosed presenter Anika Luna praising the duo as “Artists who blew me away”.

'Adored' found its place among several Spotify editorials, including the cover of Fresh Finds AU & NZ, as well as Indie Arrivals and Indie Brandneu.

Baby Smith followed up with 'All I Do'. The second single off the record blends psychedelia with melancholy, a Radiohead inspired, piano-led tune anchored by an infectious chorus. So far the single has been championed by Spotify editors pushing the song across the globe, featuring the song on 21 playlists including New Music Friday in 13 countries. The pair have continued to build momentum with 'All I Do' recieving further support from 6 Music, Triple J and Radio X among other international stations.

They made a statement of intent with their first two singles, only to return with the title track of the record. A hypnotic ode to the fall of romance in an ever polarising world,'Lately, Love Is Dead', peeled back the layers of the artists, exposing an emotional core and experimental capability not yet heard from the Australian underdogs. Again, Baby Smith's efforts did not go unnoticed, landing more New Music Fridays and placements on Spotify playslits including Front Left and Indie Arrivals.

They now drop 'Limoncello River', a whimsically unforgetabble and genre bending song with one hell of an ending featuring strings, flutes and French horns. Baby Smith have had this song as an anchor in their live shows for some time now, driving and stretching the energetic ending of the song, taking audiences on a journey down this musical river they have enthusiastically created.

Accompanying 'Limoncello River' is an official music video shot in Tuscany featuring the pair evolving into human sunflowers and embarking on a hilarious andventure through the italian countryside and having a raging night out in Florence turning time on the road into part of the project’s visual identity.

Their creative collaboration drives the project. Ray approaches writing with philosophical intention and precision; Saxon works instinctively, often guided by texture and feel. A devoted film enthusiast, Saxon drew visual inspiration for the album from Gummo by Harmony Korine, while the band’s wider artistic references stretch from André Courrèges to Suzanne Valadon and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Onstage, Baby Smith have toured their raucous, groovy, sometimes mourning live show to the UK, Germany, Ireland and Australia. They’ve supported King Hannah, and played several festivals, including Reeperbahn (Germany), Left of the Dial (Netherlands), Waking Life (Portugal), Another Love Story (Ireland) and Atmosfera Festival (Slovakia), as well as countless other shindigs.

The pair are set to hit the road again in 2026 with a UK & EU tour in support of 'Lately, Love Is Dead', which is set for release July 10th.