BADBADNOTGOOD has recently released a new six-song EP titled "Mid Spiral: Chaos." While the album retains elements of BBNG's signature sound, it also incorporates more pop and rock influences. Fans of their earlier work may need to adjust their expectations slightly. The tracks are exceptionally well-crafted, feeling organic and cohesive. The songs often linger on a single musical idea for extended periods, which can be either highly effective or detrimental depending on the band. In BBNG's case, their strong musical chemistry allows them to sustain these grooves compellingly.

If you want easy listening stuff, even more so than their earlier works, then this album will do you well. Many fans have taken to this minimalistic band sound with only a few instruments, mixed to perfection. If you enjoy artists such as Khruangbin, Mdou Moctar or Glass Beams, you might also find joy in this latest release by BADBADNOTGOOD. Some of the artists who have worked on the album together with BBNG include Felix Fox-Pappa, Kaelin Murphy, Juan Carlos Medrano and Tyler Lott. On top of releasing an album and doing all these collaborations, BADBADNOTGOOD has also contributed to an upcoming Talking Heads tribute album.

Even though the band is already widely popular, this latest release might be an attempt to make something that can be consumed by a wider audience. At least, that is what it sounds like. Now there are a few different roads people go down in a scenario like this. Some people will claim that an artist should never make music for anyone but themselves. Other people recognize that artists are making music just to fit the current trend of what’s going on, but are okay with that as long as the music works. Lastly, some people just don’t care and listen to the music for what it is. I think that you really have to look at each artist and see what works for them. 

A lot of music these days (more than ever) is being made by a committee. What does that mean? It means that behind a lot of artists, there are huge teams of songwriters, producers and other people involved who get to have their say before a song gets released to the public. With this approach, you will lose that authenticity, that “straight from the cow to the glass” feeling, where the song actually comes from the artist you are listening to. However, I think that as long as there is a market for the music that is being made, there is nothing wrong with making music with a big group involved. Some artists clearly need a huge team and thrive in that environment. If the music makes you feel good, what does it truly matter? The iffy part for me becomes when artists undeservingly hog all the credit for creating a song. This is a whole new path and one that we won’t go down today. 

Now why am I even rambling about this? Well as I said, the latest BADBADNOTGOOD album has a little bit of a different sound. I think it is because their committee changed, because a founding member, Matthew Tavares left the band and is not influencing the decisions around the music anymore. They still have a sound that is mixed to perfection, groovy and a lot of other good things. Some fans might even find the new music caters even more to their tastes. I think the only way to find out is to give it a go, so why don’t you? 

Author: Peter Källman

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