BADBADNOTGOOD collaborated with Houston musician Reggie to make this latest 70’s soul-inspired smooth listening song. The song is titled “Take What’s Given,” and a little insight reveals that the song was first brought into this world in 2022 when Reggie happened to be present in the music studio. During that time, even though Reggie was a much smaller artist, he played the band some songs, and they really took to liking something special about Reggie. Be it his energy, unique musical mind, or just his great voice, we don’t exactly know. But this collaboration made for a really nice track.

A lot of songs are written during “jams” with great musicians. This is because a lot of musicians are huge proponents of fast ideas. The musicians are trying to get their musicality out of their system without any “filters” at all. Huge artists within Soul/RnB like D’Angelo, for example, are known for writing entire albums based on only tracks that were created during jams. I think that this method is super effective but that people also confuse it with laziness. The amount of time you have to practice before the jam in order to put together something like the album “Voodoo” by D’Angelo or “Take What’s Given” by BADBADNOTGOOD is extremely long. So BADBADNOTGOOD says that the groove for this track was spontaneously created. After that, they probably tinkered with it and recorded a lot of stuff on top. Whatever the case, it came together very well. They also mention that they sort of had the track “up in the air” for a year or so while they were working on other projects. That is one really good thing about a great idea! If you make sure you have a way to remember it as you thought of it while you created it, odds are it will still be a good idea one year later.

I really enjoy bands who bring back the authenticity to the music scene. The sound of this latest track by BADBADNOTGOOD really gives a fresh mix between nostalgia and a new frontier. I just love reading other reviews and comments, so I will quote some YouTube comments on how listeners feel. By the way, I am not really cherry-picking because all the comments are overwhelmingly positive. Here is what some listeners say: “After so long, I’m alive” “Babe wake up, new BBNG track just dropped” “Sounds like an Al Green or an Otis Redding song (fire emoji)”

The list really goes on, but those, especially the first, are some wonderful comments to get. This track was released via the record label XL Recordings. In addition to this song, BADBADNOTGOOD has also worked with artists like Daniel Caesar, Charlotte Day Wilson, and Jonah Yano. The band will be performing at some festivals in 2024 like Primavera, Bonnaroo, and Cross The Tracks. I am personally thinking BADBADNOTGOOD must be great live. A lot of people are craving that authentic live band sound after hearing nothing but eardrum-smashing 808s and electronic sounds for years. That is what that first comment encapsulates, “After so long, I’m alive”. I have to admit I love both the organic 70’s soul sound that BADBADNOTGOOD achieved in this latest release as well as electronic, distortion, and 808s so loud you can’t think. I strongly recommend you try this song out! You too may have a resurgence.

Author: Peter Källman

Peter Källman is a writer from Sweden who loves playing in bands, writing reviews and going to live shows!