By Andrea Buenrostro, Courier Staff Writer
Indie rock band, Bad Suns, has recently released their second studio album “Disappear Here” after the success of their debut album “Language and Perspective”.
The Los Angeles rock group, formed in 2012, consists of singer/songwriter Christo Bowman, bassist Gavin Bennett, drummer Miles Morris, guitarist Ray Libby. Heavily influenced by 70s and 80s rock, members have looked up to a variety of bands from The Cure to The Offspring.
After the first album dropped, Bad Suns went on tours all over the country as opening acts and headliners. At the end of June of this year, the band released their first single “Disappear Here”, the same title as the album. The song has an upbeat, electric sensation and follows a story about a love interest questioning the validity of her relationship. She hopes that he cares enough to make an effort to regain her love. This piece was foreshadowing a common theme for the album, love and heartbreak.
The new album starts off with the single and continues with similar songs. “Disappear Here” resembles a sort of “cat and mouse game.” It seems as though the album was based on an extremely rocky relationship where arguments were made by both parties against each other. On songs like Love Like Revenge Christo sings, “Am I happy? No I’m just distracted, fill me with hope and my hope collapses.” He feels disappointed in his partner and thinks she takes advantage of him. On the other hand, there are some tracks, like Swimming in the Moonlight, where he says lines like, “I couldn’t love you more if I tried,” and, “In a time when nothing’s right you shine a light you’re my everything.” There are moments when they aren’t satisfied with one another but finally realize they can’t live without each other- stuck in a toxic situation.
Along with topics of infatuation and loathe, the songwriter sets aside a few songs to expose his self-discovery. The titles “Even In My Dreams”, “I Can’t Win” and “How Am I Not Myself” are quite self explanatory when it comes to the meaning behind them. He reveals how unfulfilling his achievements are to other people-how they will always want more, and that makes him feel hopeless. Christo also stresses about how much he thinks and desperately wants to find the person he used to be.
Although the lyrics may seem negative at times, the group shows a contrast with the instrumentals. You would think the sounds would be slow and sorrowful, but they are actually the exact opposite. Almost every track on the LP has the same sound. Fast paced percussion and heavy textured bass strums is the platform of Bad Suns’ style. The groovy vibe might make someone want to get up and dance. As far as sound goes, the album is not very experimental. The album lacks depth, production wise. The group has played it safe and kept with the same funky beats throughout a majority of the album and even from their first album.
