Chicago artist Bad Bubble shows off his unique and off-kilter synth-pop style on creative new album All My Friends
From the moment that the ambient and thoughtful ‘Regnant Pule’ begins, listeners are immediately immersed within the world of Bad Bubble, a captivating and thought-provoking artist who’s influences range from synth-pop, to electronia, to new wave. The track serves as a hopeful introduction to the artist’s latest album All My Friends, with Bad Bubble prolifically releasing music since 2022 and showing no sign of letting up.
The track seamlessly blends into ‘Alone’, a stirring and longing track that is flanked by whirring synths that provide a gorgeous backdrop for his impassioned, thoughtful vocal delivery and lyrics. The track moves at a deliberate pace and has a sombre feel to it throughout, evoking a nostalgic and bittersweet feel as it progresses.
The skittish beats of tracks like ‘Laugh Cap’ and ‘Stumbled Recently’ provide the album with an injection of life and showcase the nuance and charm of the artist’s distinctive approach to creating music, leaving his fingerprints all over a sound that is packed full of quirks and charm.
The slow-burning ‘This Is for Crystal’ follows and has a more tortured and emotionally striking core to it, with the artist’s sound providing powerful moments of catharsis and ascending to some really heavy and memorable emotional heights.
‘People At The Table’ is an almost eight minute long epic of a track that splices the artist’s emotional core with a more upbeat and restless soundscape, exemplifying the artist’s appeal and the nuance and character that formulates his sound. The track feels like an odyssey into everything that makes Bad Bubble feel distinctive and raw, completely owning his own sound that feels distinctive and fresh.
Possibly the most poppy and commercially viable moment on the album comes in the form of ‘In Whatever’, a thoughtful track that builds and swells throughout its duration, building to satisfying moments on bliss and euphoria that provide a welcome bit of respite on an album that usually thrives in chaos and sadness.
‘My Head Ruins Everything’ and ‘One Fine Day’ close out the album and continue to showcase the uniqueness of the artist, with the latter especially showcasing some of the most beautiful pianos on an album that is packed full of them. The album is often rooted in places of sadness and isolation but it is the creativity and colourful nature of the tracks that really brings them to life.
On the whole, the album is a smorgasbord of creativity and expression from the artist. Bad Bubble is an artist who clearly has a plethora of ideas and concepts, with an abundance of music to his name and seemingly never faltering for inspiration or ideas. All My Friends provides a really thoughtful glimpse into the artist’s psyche and mind and provides some memorable tracks that are packed full of the artist’s unique DNA.
