Bad Bad Hats

Last updated
Bad Bad Hats
Bad Bad Hats Saint Asbury Park NJ 05142019 LHCollins 01.jpg
Bad Bad Hats performing at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ, May 2019.
Background information
Origin Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Genres Indie pop, pop-punk, folk rock, folk
Years active2012–present
Labels Afternoon Records, Don Giovanni Records
Website www.badbadhats.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Bad Bad Hats is an indie pop band formed in 2012 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is composed of Kerry Alexander (born July 1990), Chris Hoge, and Connor Davison. [1] [2] The band is named after a trouble-making character in the children's book, Madeline . [3]

Contents

The band has toured with notable artists including Margaret Glaspy, Hippo Campus, Third Eye Blind, The Front Bottoms, and Michelle Branch. [1]

History

Kerry Alexander grew up in Birmingham, Alabama but moved to Florida when she was 15. [4] She and Chris Hoge met while they were students at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota after finding each other's music on Myspace. Alexander had been performing "scrappy folk originals" and acoustic covers of "All The Small Things" by Blink-182 at solo-acoustic shows on campus. [5] They initially joined forces to perform a duet. Once Alexander heard Hoge playing drums, she wanted to start a band, which they did in 2010. [5] Fellow student Noah Boswell joined them on bass in 2012 at which time they formed Bad Bad Hats. The trio then started performing around Minneapolis–Saint Paul. [5]

In the early days, the band alternated between acoustic and revved-up, garage-leaning rock. [5] The band began by releasing lo-fi music demos via Bandcamp. These included kazoo solos, revised Shania Twain verses, and the indie-pop track Super America. [5] In 2013 they released their debut EP, It Hurts. [5] Bad Bad Hats first LP, Psychic Reader, was released in 2015 on Afternoon Records. [6] [7] Psychic Reader received positive reviews and resulted in more high-profile gigs, opening for bands such as Third Eye Blind and Margaret Glaspy. [5]

In 2018, Bad Bad Hats released their second full-length album titled Lightning Round on Afternoon Records. [5] [2] This album and Psychic Reader were both produced by Brett Bullion, who helped develop the music's loose, organic feel. [1] Shortly thereafter, Boswell left the band to attend graduate school. [8]

In 2019, the band performed at South by Southwest. [1]

In September 2021, Bad Bad Hats released their third LP, Walkman on Don Giovanni Records. [9]

Bad Bad Hats released a fourth self-titled album on April 12, 2024.

Reception

The band's music has been described as indie, pop-punk, folk, classic pop, influences by "90s rock simplicity and pop-punk frivolity."

Alexander’s lyrics have been described as relatable, sincere, subtle, honest, unpredictable, and powerful. [1]

Bad Bad Hats describe their style has been described as "indie rock," but have been described in Rolling Stone as likely to "break into Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me" at any moment" and going well with a latte at Starbucks. [5] Their songs are described as expertly produced, with hooks and intriguing turns. Their sound is very pleasing, but some critics have called for more message, urgency, and purpose. [5]

Critics in Pitchfork said that Psychic Reader had the same "unconventional structure and sticky melody" as found in Super America, but that the band's music had become richer, more varied, and more multidimensional. [10]

Critics in Rolling Stone said that Lightning Round reflects the same blend of indie-pop, folk, and rock, but is even more refined and polished than Psychic Reader and has a "mid-tempo groove," and a richly-produced synth-pop sound reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk. [5]

Band Members

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleLabel
2015 Psychic Reader Afternoon Records
2018 Lightning Round Afternoon Records
2021 Walkman Don Giovanni Records
2024 Bad Bad Hats Don Giovanni Records

EPs

YearTitleLabel
2012Grow UpSelf Released
2013It HurtsAfternoon Records
2019Wide RightSelf Released

Related Research Articles

Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent record labels, by the 1990s it became more widely associated with the music such bands produced.

<i>Point of Know Return</i> 1977 studio album by Kansas

Point of Know Return is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2002.

<i>Ultramega OK</i> 1988 studio album by Soundgarden

Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988, by SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life (1987) and Fopp (1988), both for the Sub Pop record label, Soundgarden signed with SST and went to work on their debut full-length. The resulting album contained elements of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and hardcore punk. The band supported the album with a tour of the United States, as well as its first overseas tour.

Slowcore, also known as sadcore, is a subgenre of indie rock characterised by subdued tempos with typically minimalist instrumentation alongside solemn and melancholic lyrical performances.

<i>Zen Arcade</i> 1984 studio album by Hüsker Dü

Zen Arcade is the second studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in July 1984 on SST Records. Originally released as a double album on two vinyl LPs, Zen Arcade tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an unfulfilling home life, only to find the world outside is even worse. Zen Arcade and subsequent Hüsker Dü albums were instrumental in the creation of the alternative rock genre, and it is considered by some to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

<i>G N R Lies</i> 1988 studio album by Guns N Roses

G N' R Lies is the second studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released by Geffen Records on November 29, 1988. It is the band's shortest studio album, running at 33 and a half minutes. The album reached number two on the US Billboard 200, and according to the RIAA, has shipped over five million copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Proclaimers</span> Scottish musical group

The Proclaimers are a Scottish rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid. They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America", which reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom, and the 1988 single "I'm Gonna Be ", which topped charts in Australia, Iceland and New Zealand. The duo's biggest album, Sunshine on Leith (1988) has been certified multi-Platinum in Australia and Canada, selling over 2 million copies worldwide, including around 700,000 in the United States. The Proclaimers have sold over 5 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent music</span> Music produced without commercial record labels

Independent music is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by independent record labels. Indie music describes a number of related styles, but generally describes guitar-oriented music straying away from mainstream conventions. There are a number of subgenres of independent music which combine its characteristics with other genres, such as indie pop, indie rock, indie folk, and indie electronic.

Folk punk is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by The Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade. In more recent years, its subgenres Celtic punk and Gypsy punk have experienced some commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Adicts</span> British punk rock band

The Adicts are a British punk rock band from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. A popular English punk rock band of the 1980s, they were often in the indie charts during that decade.

<i>Stormcock</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Roy Harper

Stormcock is the fifth studio album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. First released in May 1971 by Harvest Records, it is widely considered his best record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elvis Perkins</span> American musician

Elvis Brooke Perkins is an American folk-rock musician. He released his debut studio album, Ash Wednesday, in 2007. He subsequently toured in support of the album with his band Elvis Perkins in Dearland, composed of Perkins alongside multi-instrumentalists Brigham Brough, Wyndham Boylan-Garnett and Nick Kinsey. The band released its self-titled debut, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, in 2009.

Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation.

<i>Mescalito</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Ryan Bingham

Mescalito is the first studio album by American country rock singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham, released in 2007 through Lost Highway Records and produced by Marc Ford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tree Machine Records</span> Record label based in Indiana, United States

Tree Machine Records is an independent record label in Bloomington, Indiana. It was founded in the summer of 2010 by students at Indiana University working to sign new artists and expand Tree Machine's outreach. It follows no specific genre and has connected with artists across the globe. Notable artists include Living Hour, !mindparade, co-manager Eazy, Blimp Rock, Jon Dice, Vows, and Living Body. The first production under the label, was co-signed to Gulcher Records and has since received instant recognition in the underground, indie rock world, helping with the founding and early progression of the label.

<i>The Lone Bellow</i> (album) 2013 studio album by The Lone Bellow

The Lone Bellow is the debut studio album by the American folk rock trio The Lone Bellow. The album was released on January 22, 2013 by Descendant Records label, and the producer on the album was Charlie Peacock. The album has achieved critical and commercial acclaim.

Darlingside is a four-person indie folk band from Boston, MA. The band consists of Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltiner, and David Senft. Their style has been described as “exquisitely arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop” by All Songs Considered. As of August 2023, the band has released ten EPs and LPs, their latest being Everything is Alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bitter Chills</span> American indie rock band

The Bitter Chills are an American indie rock band from New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Part of the Band</span> 2022 single by The 1975

"Part of the Band" is a song by English band the 1975. It was released on 7 July 2022 through Dirty Hit as the lead single of their fifth album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language. Reviewers identified the song as breaking new ground for the band, containing aspects of different pop, folk and rock genres. String instruments play throughout the acoustic song, with additional incorporation of woodwind and jazz instruments. The lyrics, in a stream of consciousness style, explore Healy's relationships and himself without a chorus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bad Bad Hats". South by Southwest.
  2. 1 2 Colburn, Randall (May 23, 2018). "Bad Bad Hats announce sophomore album, Lightning Round, share "Write It On Your Heart": Stream". Consequence of Sound.
  3. Hughes, Peter (August 31, 2022). "Live At The Linda: "Alt Rock Labor Day Celebration"". WAMC .
  4. "Bad Bad Hats". Macalester College.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bernstein, Jonathan (August 1, 2018). "Bad Bad Hats' Upside-Down Pop Hits" . Rolling Stone .
  6. Weatherby, Lea (July 9, 2015). "Exclusive Album Stream: 'Psychic Reader,' Bad Bad Hats". Interview .
  7. Courneen, Trevor (July 14, 2015). "Bad Bad Hats: Psychic Reader Review". Paste .
  8. Gorinshteyn, Ksenia (October 10, 2019). "Bad Bad Hats has no genre, and they want to keep it that way". Minnesota Daily .
  9. Mitchell, Matt (September 14, 2021). "Bad Bad Hats Deliver Magnetic Pop Hooks on Walkman". Paste .
  10. Duncan, Tess (July 20, 2015). "Bad Bad Hats Psychic Reader". Pitchfork .