Billy Bobak writes like someone catching memories in real time. Based in London and holding down a full-time job as a doctor, he’s building a parallel life as a songwriter, folding classic British alt-rock DNA into something more loose, personal, and slightly crooked at the edges. Billy Wakes Up is his first full-length, the opening part of a planned three-album arc about growing up and trying to make sense of it afterwards.
The record opens with “Intro (Breakfast?),” a short scene-setting clip: birds, room tone, and an old orchestral recording chewed up like it’s been found on a forgotten tape. It drops straight into “Saving Grace,” all bright guitar, steady drums and an easy vocal that leans into the pop side of his writing without feeling slick. “Most Nights” tilts toward nostalgia, with bells and high synth tones circling around a more reflective melody, like a half-remembered winter evening.
“Wakey Wakey” pushes further into the psychedelic side, the rhythm section leaning back while the song slowly drifts out, and “He’s Not There” pulls things back into focus, guitars and strings wrapping around a very direct vocal. Across the album, the Reading University Orchestra and Choir turn up in pieces like “Respite” and “Indo Girls,” giving some of these songs a wider frame without swallowing the core band feeling.
There are rough edges here and there, which helps more than it hurts. You can hear someone still figuring out how big their sound can get, trying ideas on without losing the small-room honesty. It’s a debut that feels personal first and clever second, built from details that could sit comfortably in coming-of-age films or series about messy early adulthood.
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