The alternative music scene is home to many artists, but none as eccentric and vibrant as Bad Suns. The California rock band has been around since 2012, producing theatrical and tasteful albums that remind listeners of hot summer nights and memories of one’s teenage years.
Formed in Woodland Hills, CA, the band consists of frontman Christo Bowman, bassist Gavin Bennett, drummer Miles Morris and guitarist Ray Libby. When they started making music together, their production was inspired by the sounds of the past such as The Clash and The Cure.
When asked about his musical influences with last.fm, Bowman said, “I grew up with a lot of world music playing in the house. When I was 10, I started getting heavily interested in the guitar, and my dad began introducing me to his records from the '70s and the '80s.”
They began with Transpose in 2013, an EP that was the band’s precursor to their first studio album the following year, Language & Perspective. The band’s debut allowed it to gain a following, especially with their 80s-rock lead single “Cardiac Arrest,” a song about struggling to resist a lover who may be detrimental in the long run.
With the success of these projects, the band was able to share the stage with major bands like The 1975 and The Vaccines, which only catapulted them into more profound musical territory. As a result, the four released Disappear Here just two years later in 2016, an array of songs that created the perfect summertime album for those who enjoy laying in the sun.
From a creative standpoint, Disappear Here was a more evolved sound, evident within tracks such as “Heartbreaker” and “Daft Pretty Boys,” both highlighting Bowman’s extensive vocal range and spontaneous lyricism.
The band continued to expand in their sound, going straight into a new project right after the success of Disappear Here. Unfortunately, it didn’t cause any fans to turn their heads, as Mystic Truth was a disappointment production-wise by not even comparing to the light-hearted and cool sounds of their previous album.
Luckily, Bowman and his bandmates were able to prove themselves again, this time releasing an album that could be seen as the sister to Disappear Here. Dropping this past January, Apocalypse Whenever was the comeback release that the band needed to remain prevalent in the music scene.
Starting off with the impressive lead single of “Baby Blue Shades” in 2020 and later dropping “Heaven Is A Place In My Head” and “Wishing Fountains” in 2021, the album was already sonically worlds apart from its last. Bowman’s new persona channels a Danny Zuko-like energy, glowing as he sings of never wanting to fall out of love, nor lose the person they love.
Now, it seems as if Bad Suns is yet again heading off in the right direction. While they are still relatively unknown to many, their slow and steady rise within the alternative genre proves the patience and passion each band member holds, prioritizing the process of making good music over topping industry charts.
