Mixed and mastered by James Krausse (Beyoncé, Porches, Margaret Glaspy), on ‘No Worries’ Mal Not Bad’s production feels bold and meticulously crafted – taking risks while preserving an accessible experience for the listener; blending familiar live instruments with exploratory tones and manipulated sounds.

Incorporating influence from sources including Feist, Aphex Twin, David Byrne, Brian Eno and Alex G, fragile guitar motifs chug away between writhing atmospheric flourishes and glitching percussion – all combining to form a truly distinctive backing for Mal Not Bad’s astute reflections on the difficulty of communication.

Of the new single, Mal Not Bad (they/them) went into more detail on the track’s lyrical inspiration: “‘No Worries’ is this convergence of a protest song and a reflection of the difficulty of communication. I wrote it around mid-pandemic during the chaos of our previous presidency, police brutality, riots, and the pandemic itself – this constant cycle of horrible headlines and events that always exists, though the landscape/names might shift. It points to the disarray that happens when words and photos/documentation lose their power and meaning – an intense cycle that feels almost impossible to shake and can be dwindled down to everyday conversations we have with the people immediately around us. Understanding this hopefully can slow ourselves down to listen and speak with intention and patience.”

Visually, Mal Not Bad’s forthcoming project focuses a lot on movement. ‘No Worries’ is accompanied by a video of a trio performances created by dancer and choreographer Alyssa Allen (Billie Eilish, Emmit Fenn), featuring solo improvisation by the choreographer as well. The video is co-directed by Mal Not Bad and director of photography Seannie Bryan (Weyes Blood, Blondshell, Skullcrusher).

This Is Your New Life:

1. Far Gone
2. AP
3. No Worries
4. Cycle
5. Cycle (outro)
6. Come On/Hard Times
7. Inst II Pt. I
8. Inst II Pt. II
9. Life
10. Mustang (feat. Junaco)
11. Inst I
12. Dodgeball

The post Mal Not Bad announces debut album and shares new single ‘No Worries’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Building upon the ambient sonic world where their previous EP, 2022’s ‘Continuous Short Feature Film’ left off, Mal Not Bad mines stunning new depth, incorporating more electronic influence, blending sampled drum beats with live ones, exploring a world that blends 4 on the floor, pulse-based music with live instrumentation.

Co-mixed by Mal Not Bad & John Lowell Anderson (Porches, Margaret Glaspy), mastered by James Krausse (Beyoncé) and self-produced by Mal Not Bad, ‘Dodgeball’ patiently builds with the use of trembling guitar motifs and fidgeting electronics as they muse on personal growth and inner battles [“I wanna give you everything that you need / I wanna love you with every breath I breathe”].

Of the new single, Mal Not Bad (they/them) said: “‘Dodgeball’ feels like an extension of the song and music video ‘Sports’ from the previous EP. Both songs/videos have a serious, darker tone in the lyrics that contrast with lighter, more playful visuals and song titles. At the time of writing ‘Dodgeball’ I was struggling to learn how to love myself – the concept of dodgeball felt fitting to express that struggle where you feel like you are working on yourself and want to grow / feel good but keep dodging the main parts of you that are inflicting pain (like self hate) which prevents the growth from happening. For ‘Dodgeball’ specifically, we discovered that the team captains could be thought of as two versions of the same person – the actual person themself and the part of them that hates. The teammates can be thought of the beautiful and uglier parts of you that you might develop and/or work on/with along the way.”

Visually, Mal Not Bad’s forthcoming project focuses a lot on movement, with the accompanying video for ‘Dodgeball’ co-directed with director of photography Seannie Bryan (Weyes Blood, Blondshell, Skullcrusher).

The post Mal Not Bad gives impassioned personal team talk on new single ‘Dodgeball’ appeared first on She Makes Music.