Oh, Badflower... Oh, Josh Katz. Where and how do I even begin? The first time I was introduced to Badflower was when they were opening for The Wrecks in 2018 and I kinda hated them... "Who is this guy? Who does he think he is?", is what I first thought when I saw frontman Josh Katz. But once I was forced to listen to them over and over again, I became obsessed. I've officially seen them three times with a fourth time on the way with their set at Aftershock.
Badflower's new album "This Is How The World Ends" was released on Friday September 24, and it's even better than "Ok I'm Sick". I woke up this morning, a perfect Fall morning, went for a walk, and put the album on. Some things were different. Some things were familiar. Most of it was chaotic, as expected. Altogether, this is a really phenomenal album. But if you're just now getting into Badflower (where have you been? I'm kidding) I highly recommend listening to at least their debut album "Ok I'm Sick" so that you properly dive into the world of Badflower.
This Is How The World Ends begins with a slower song, which was a little unexpected. "Adolescent Love" I think is a different approach for this album but lets you know that there will be lots of slower songs and ballads. But it's a great introduction. It's the perfect way to ease into this album, it's about the character being a teenager in love who looks younger than others, "you're only a boy, you're too young to love her". I think this song is one everyone can relate to if you've ever been in unrequited love, or even just a crush. So after the nice ease of the beginning of the album, we dive straight into the chaotic side. "Fuckboi" was one of the singles released and when I first heard it, I was not into it at all. I actually feared for the future of Badflower and this album... However, since I've heard it more than once, it's actually better than I remember. It's a little different, but it's a chaotic track. If you had to guess what this song was about, what would you think? This is basically a "fuck you" to "fuckbois" of the world. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it's basically all of the guys that peak in high school and never exceed those years. The men that just think they're "too good" for this world, women, even themselves if you think about it. But this song is a total response to that lifestyle.
Slowing things back down, "Family" was the first single released from this album and my favorite one. It definitely felt very true to the band to me. This song just feels like it's Badflower. This song is definitely relatable for a lot of people. I think what hits even more is the music video. Back to the crazy side again, another single "Johnny Wants To Fight" gives off a very catchy chorus that everyone can have fun singing along to - "Johnny wants to fight, let him fight, let him kick some fucking ass" - I mean, how could you not be obsessed with this song? "Stalker" is ABSOLUTELY the most chaotic song on this album and it's AMAZING! This song seriously gives me goosebumps, it's the crazy energy it gives off (and that Josh gives off). Smack dab in the middle of the chaoticness of the song, it slows down a bit and turns into kind of a jazz song. My favorite part of it is "Maybe if you stopped blaming women for your shitty life and started treating them with respect, you'd find a girlfriend" in Siri's voice.
"Everyone's An Asshole" is the truest statement from any artist ever. This song speaks the truth, the whole truth and nothing about the truth. It's calling out society. It's calling out the modern world. "Everyone's an asshole all the time, it's easier to follow than to be kind" - I mean, is he wrong? Is he wrong? "She Knows" is one of my favorites on this album and I can't even tell you why. It's a ballad and just the tone of it being so slow and calming just makes me feel like I can chill. Especially after hearing "Stalker". It's a beautiful song with a real story and not everyone writes about these things. "Only Love" gives off the same slow vibes and is such a serious song, I forget that I'm even listening to Badflower. "Sasshole" is the one. That's the one that Josh Katz wrote about himself. It's literally about him living as a musician in the media. "He's heading six feet deep in a hole, that guy is so rock 'n' roll."
"Don't Hate Me" was another single and is a very true song. It's also relatable for anyone who's ever been insecure. "Don't hate me more than I hate myself, don't let me destroy me, don't hurt me more than I hurt myself". "Tethered" is one that hits home for me as a woman, simply because it happens. All. The. Time. "When you love someone unwillingly you leave yourself behind. You're hiding in the bathroom and you pray for better times." "Machine Gun" is one that really hits different. It's almost too real. It begins lyrically with a boy being enlisted into the military without consent when he's seventeen and manipulating someone who's so broken into the US Military. "They gave me a machine gun but I don't wanna hurt no one. There's nothing here to fight for, this is someone else's war" - Those lyrics sound way too real to me, even though I've never personally experienced anything close to that. There are more lyrics that sound even more real to me - "They said that we're the good guys, but maybe we're the terrorists". The way this album closes out with "My Funeral" had me seriously crying. I did not expect to cry during this album, but that song really did because it's somewhat relatable... And then the lyrics "I think I'll shut the fuck up and donate to a charity" made me feel better. Overall, this album is definitely not what I expected... It went way beyond my expectations. And the expectations were pretty high. I'm excited to hear these songs live since, as stated by the Badflower Twitter, "Ok now learn all the words 'cause we're basically playing the entire album on the tour".
You can listen to This Is How The World Ends HERE, follow Badflower on Instagram and Twitter, and catch Badflower on TOUR. Badflower loves you for listening to their album. Especially Josh. Josh Katz loves you.
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