Bad Suns

Bad Suns is an American rock band from Woodland Hills, California, formed in 2012. The band currently consists of Christo Bowman, Gavin Bennett, Miles Morris and Ray Libby. A majority of the band members are from Los Angeles, California. The group has been signed to Vagrant Records, where they released their debut album "Language & Perspective" in 2014. The band's sound is inspired from 1970s and 1980s post-punk pioneers like The Cure and Elvis Costello.
Their second album was released on September 16, 2016, titled "Disappear Here". Their third and most recent album, "Mystic Truth", was released on March 22, 2019. The band has since released three singles, I'm Not Having Any Fun, Unstable, and Baby Blue Shades. I'm Not Having Any Fun and Unstable were originally intended for release on "Mystic Truth" but were later removed from the album. They were released on April 24th and May 15th, 2020, respectively. Baby Blue Shades was produced by Eric Palmquist, who worked with the band on their first two albums, "Language & Perspective" and "Disappear Here". Baby Blue Shades was released on September 28, 2020. The band is 80% complete with their fourth studio album and is expected to release it in 2021.
Background.
Bad Suns formed in early 2012. Made up of Christo Bowman (vocals), Gavin Bennett (bass/keyboard), Miles Morris (drums), and Ray Libby (guitar). “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. Initially Elvis Costello, then to The Clash, The Cure, and so on,” notes Bowman, “all of these artists and bands had a big impact on me, at a young age, as far as song composition goes.” The debut EP "Transpose" features angst-ridden riffs and ethereal vocals reminiscent of post-punk legends of the early '80s. “I started writing my first songs at that time," Bowman continues, “Though we can now reflect on that era of music, those artists were ahead of their time in a lot of ways. That’s what’s most inspiring.”
The band released "Cardiac Arrest" online, where it went viral. The "Transpose EP" was recorded in the studio with producer Eric Palmquist (The Mars Volta, Wavves, Trash Talk) and preceded the band's debut 2014 album, "Language & Perspective". “The writing and recording process is always exciting, because it’s constantly changing and unique to each song. Inspiration comes and goes as it pleases, so a night when a song gets written is a very good night,” says Bowman. In 2014, the band opened for British indie-pop band The 1975 and later headlined a tour in small venues, such as The Troubadour in West Hollywood. The bands rising fame has led them to perform in music festivals. In 2015, they played in the Mojave Tent at Coachella,
Bad Suns released their second album, "Disappear Here", on September 16, 2016. Bowman came up with the name of the album while reading "Less Than Zero" by Bret Easton Ellis, "Maybe the second or third time the 'Disappear Here' billboard appears in the narrative, it sort of just hit me like a ton of bricks. It encapsulated absolutely everything." On October 6, 2017, Bad Suns released the single "This Was a Home Once". On November 13, 2018, they announced that they had signed with Epitaph Records and released their first new music in over a year, "Away We Go". On the 14th of January Bad Suns announced their next album called "Mystic Truth", which was released on March 22, 2019.
The band has ventured into film and television for the first time by performing Mark Knopfler’s score from the Quibi exclusive short film which aired in June and July 2020.
Accolades.
Jessica Goodman and Ryan Kistobak of "The Huffington Post" included the band's debut album, "Language & Perspective", on their list of 2014's best releases, calling it "a rare indie release with little excess amongst its singles". The music video for "Salt" has been praised by "Out" magazine and MTV for its depiction of a transgender woman's struggles with her identity and transition.