Maybe Babs Pays A Visit On Dreamy New Single “Doorstep”

Canadian songwriter Babette Hayward, who performs as Maybe Babs, has shared her dreamy new single “Doorstep”, chronicling her unannounced appearances on friends’ doorsteps. The sentimental track is filled with yearning and soulful lyrics, broken into two parts according to Hayward.

Maybe Babs (Photo courtesy of Front Porch Publicity)

Reminiscing on how the song came to be, she explains, “I started to piece together memories of turning up on friends’ doorsteps, confused because what I thought was one thing, was actually another”. She came to the realization that she’d been wasting time “pining after people that never wanted me back”. Detailing how she used to stop by with elaborate gifts to try and win people over – among them a bonsai tree, an antique glass teapot, and an air mattress – writing “Doorstep” helped her see the pattern in her ways. Reflected through lyrics like “what am I doing at your doorstep / who am I trying to fool,” Hayward’s wispy yet hugely impactful vocals carry the song into part two.

“I had moved on from [my old ways] and put an ocean in between,” she says speaking of her eventual move from Atlantic Canada to the UK. The same instrumental melody carries through from part one, building in its intensity as the track progresses. In the final lines of “Doorstep”, Hayward sings “I really hate to think about the city that way / breathing the air like it’ll be okay,” tying back to the memories of her previous doorstep encounters. Closing out the song, she asks, “meet me at the lido like it’ll be okay” – the lido being a place of reflection during her time in London, where she could remember the unwanted gifts she’d left at various Doorsteps.

Reminiscent of artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Soccer Mommy, Maybe Babs’ melancholic and wistful sound is a perfect tune for a cozy fall day, a late night drive, or a midday break to think back on past missteps.

You can listen to the tune here: