On November 7, 2017, Indie Rock band the Bad Suns, stopped in Nashville, TN, at the rock club Exit/In, on their first nationwide tour. The band is best known for their Billboard Adult Alternative top ten, single “Cardiac Arrest.” From their debut album Language and Perspective. Since the release of their first album the band has been doing very well for themselves, opening for acts such as The 1975 and Halsey. They also performed at the Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, AL this past summer.
I arrived at the venue with two of my highschool friends, albeit a little nervous for my first interview with a chart topping band. I walked in the back door and met lead singer Christo Bowman, bass player Gavin Bennett, drummer Miles Morris, and lead guitarist Ray Libby. Though they might tell you differently, I got nervous and forgot who played what instrument and the band played a prank on me, telling me the wrong names and instruments.
With their sophomore album Disappear Here, they embarked on their national tour. The process of writing while on tour can be a taxing one: long nights on the road, not sleeping, far from your family. But, for this band they find it to be a relaxing experience: “When we are on tour there’s no pressure, I don’t know it’s kind of just about collecting things,” said Bowman of the creative process while on tour.
“If you pick up a guitar one day and keep playing something whatever it is and just jotting down lyrics or melodies. That’s great to do on the road cause there’s like nothing pressing you need to be worrying about because it just about the show.”
After the success of their first album Language and Perspective, and moving on to the second, Disappear Here. The move from freshman album to sophomore album can be a stressful task for most artists, yet the Bad Suns take on this task with relative ease.
“I really think it’s part of a progression taking something that we felt we had established with our first album and then moving it into a new direction,” said Bowman. “And making it apparent that it wasn’t just about this one album. That we were a band and we have a lot in us to get out, and the second record is just a step into the direction that we want to see ourselves in.”
With an early success in a freshman album there is the temptation to stagnate and go with what's comfortable. “We knew what we needed to do and we felt very confident that we weren't going to fall into some of those trap holes that other bands might, not in an arrogant sort of way.” said Bowman of the sophomore album writing process.
“We just approached it in a way of complete understanding that it could go one way or another and just trying to push ourselves to go in the right direction. We were confident in ourselves and our abilities as a group of four and because of that it wasn’t so scary. But you know there is pressure in following an album people like because we did it doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard.”
With all the pressure, that goes into touring, they handle it well, their audience gets the best from them in the performance on stage and in the studio. The Nashville concert was great and the audience loved them. As for what comes next we will have to wait and see what the Bad Suns turn out with their Junior album.