NEW SINGLE: Ernie Garland Jr 'Baby Mama Drama'
Ernie Garland Jr drops soul-stirring new track 'Baby Mama Drama' is a groove-heavy ode to holding on
After the warm reception of his debut solo single 'Going Home' on Australia’s most prominent community radio stations, Ernie Garland Jr returns with the next chapter in his deeply personal sonic journey. Out Thursday 23 October via Routenote, 'Baby Mama Drama' is the newest single from his upcoming full-length album Dealin’ Out The Healin’ to be released in 2026.
Infused with groove and heartfelt emotion, 'Baby Mama Drama' isn’t just a catchy title; it’s a plea for patience, perspective, and preservation in love. “The song is about not throwing away your relationships too easily,” says Garland. “Doing whatever it takes to make it work and remembering the reason why you connected with your significant other in the first place. If it’s worth fighting for, then do everything you can to save what you have.”
The track was a labour of love, recorded across hemispheres and time zones, featuring powerhouse vocalists Arica Jackson and Terrie Lynne, fresh from a Broadway production in New York City. In a whirlwind late-night session booked at Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, Garland directed the session live from Sydney at 3 a.m. local time.
“Arica’s vamp on the outro of Baby Mama Drama was a last-minute one-take before they had to tip out,” Garland recalls. “It was a very cool experience, raw, urgent, and real.”
Influenced by the likes of Teddy Atlas, Phoenix, Steely Dan, and The Roots, 'Baby Mama Drama' is for fans of beats, soul, reggae and storytelling grounded in emotional authenticity, offering both reflection and release. Ernie, previously the frontman of the celebrated nine-piece roots-reggae outfit Kinsky, has found his stride as a solo artist. This new body of music was born in solitude during Sydney’s second pandemic lockdown, when he relocated from Bondi Beach to his family’s suburban granny flat. With just a piano and a simple home studio setup, he composed and produced the record largely on his own, a first in his career.
“I spent four months away from the woman who is now my wife and the ocean I love,” he says. “I lived like a monk, rising every morning to play piano before working on the tunes.” The focused discipline, combined with Garland’s lifelong connection to the soulful rhythms of Sydney’s coast, shines through in every note of 'Baby Mama Drama'.
In a world desperate for a moment to do nothing but catch a groove, 'Baby Mama Drama' is a song that reminds us all: love is worth the fight.
'Baby Mama Drama' out Thursday 23 October via Routenote