Details of the human at the helm of all things Bad Bubble, the Cosmic Synth-Pop Sensation, emerge slowly but surely with each new project – and each interview in which the artist is fearlessly honest and willing to share.
Regarding his military background, the War project is perhaps the most suggestive, bringing together otherwise unheard of political and social observations with the deeply personal impact of its subject matter.
Our Waves Through a Winter unites strings and synths across a soaring and beautiful landscape to introduce things. At first purely ambient, later melodically euphoric and cinematic – feeling something like a re-imagined scene from Romeo & Juliet.
After this, contrast hits hard and heavy, for the switch to relentless rhythmic energy, bold distortion and multiple layers of the unmistakable Bad Bubble voice. Something like electro or dream-pop reignited at a high-octane level, Kill Away again feels both dreamy and dark – qualities scattered throughout the Bad Bubble repertoire.
We shift into fascinating juxtaposition again for the retro bounce and contemplation of Big Perfect, before Violet War presents an EDM realm of passionate intensity and equal parts pain and uplift. As ever, the voice is tentative within the mix, second to the overall sound and feel. However, as we lean in more closely, the music takes on a whole new energy – in light of the words that bred it.
Fire Me feels distinctly intimate in its evocative outcry and the looping vocal desperation driving it. ‘Is there something you’re not telling me?’ resounds as a call to the innocence and naivety of young soldiers invited to participate in War.
Later the the more sci-fi-ready tones of Guardian Five One Medic present a story of intrigue. Not every aspect of War is pain, this particular track referencing a real person – an entertaining character named Sgt. Deikelman, whose antics and pack mentality provided interesting hints of escapism (and inspiration to write). The notably mellow and distant warmth of Glass Of Wine later settles things back down.
The journey gets angsty and darker still for Flower Bar, just two notes resounding and gathering momentum, later paired with a second vocal layer; the sound almost anthemic in its marching, military rhythm and singular direction.
Explosion then takes the War sound through a retro rhythmic chaos of expression – relaying near-dear intensity on both the first and last days of deployment. Bad Bubble’s versatility as producer and musician are laid bare through unexpected atmospheric progressions and details.
Arrangement matters, and the simplicity and calm of Blueberry arrives at just the right moment. An easy rise and fall melody, a mellow yet immersive soundscape, imagery and personal anecdotes intertwined. You can lose yourself in the aura, and this works all the more effectively thanks to its placement after Explosion.
Strikingly passionate vocals light up I Don’t Care, an intimate deep-dive into the impact of War and these scenes and stories that paved the way. Nope follows with cleanly mixed lyrics reflecting on the reality of now, rising into all the more boldly passionate outcries as the album glides through its emotional crescendo.
A moment to reflect – purely piano, humanity, melancholy and quiet – the indifference of underscore, a closing instrumental again reminding listeners of the individual journey, the creative, the web of stories that led us to this point.
Bad Bubble never fails to drive with the soul and the honest search for connection and understanding. War is its own creative beast entirely, beautiful and heartbroken, perhaps relatable to many but also unflinchingly personal. With the last album, All My Friends, the artwork was the same but with a figure in the window of the house. For War, no one remains – no one is there. The isolation is defiantly poignant.
Look out for the new EP ZAP the Enemy prior to War. Follow Bad Bubble on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter & his Website.
