l.n. baba - Onion
Self-Released
Released on January 31st, 2026
Listening to l.n. baba’s new album, Onion, feels like stepping into a world of your own. Trees are quiet in the wind, dogs open their mouths but don’t bark, and a far-off voice sings to you about things you hope to understand, like onions and tramlines. It’s a magical experience that’s made possible through uniquely excellent songwriting, idiosyncratic performances, and a sparse, yet effective production style.
The biggest strength of the songs on Onion is their ability to make you feel like you’re discovering something alongside the songwriter. This is most evident in two of the album’s most beautiful songs, “Sisyphus” and “Land”. The mantra at the end of “Sisyphus” is gorgeous: “Sisyphus pushed an onion up the hill.” Absolutely stunning, but I think it only works as well as it does because of the very natural lead from the bridge where l.n. baba sings, “I peel this onion to cry, when I see what’s inside / Push the bulb up to the peak, and I beg it to speak / And I do it again / And I do it again / And I do it again…” When I noticed this progression for the first time, it felt like watching some sort of impossible discovery, like seeing someone prove by algebra that Hamlet’s grandson is Shakespeare’s grandfather, and that he himself is the ghost of his own father: it’s logical and non-sensical at the same time.
“Land” ends up in much the same place. The song is full of beautiful and surreal comparisons between someone in the narrator’s life, and a somewhat mythical sounding “land”. Near the four-minute mark, l.n. baba pauses and reflects, at first muttering “The land”, then again, louder, “The land”, until finally it bursts out of him: “The land!” It’s like l.n. baba is sharing an epiphany with us; he’s just found a cake in his oven, and he’s giving us a slice. By this point in the song, I do believe l.n. baba has already made it clear what “Land” is about; this outro functions beautifully to provide some gravity, and additionally, that sense of discovery that I think is so unique to this album.
I recommended someone Onion a little while ago and they didn’t have much to say about it other than, “It made me quite sad.”, and while yes, it is generally a sad record, I think it does well to lighten its load through another brilliant aspect of its songwriting: the humour. There’s this moment at the end of the chorus of “People” where l.n. baba sings, “I love you / I love you”, but his inflection for each “I love you” is very different. The first time he sings it, it’s like a baby’s face lighting up when seeing its mother, and the second time, it’s like the baby is at its mother’s funeral. It’s such a dark and sudden contrast (especially live) that manages to get a laugh from me every time.
Onion is a masterpiece. The songs are rich with catchy and haunting melodies propped up by l.n. baba’s masterful guitar skills, and the lyrics are wonderfully unique and contain such a depth that I find myself thinking about them differently with each listen.
