Bad Suns’s “Apocalypse Whenever (Deluxe Edition)” [Review]

Last year I reviewed Bad Suns’ “Disappear Here” (check that review out here), their sophomore album, and one of my favorite albums of all time. A few days later, Bad Suns released their 4th studio album, “Apocalypse Whenever”, an album I had been anxiously anticipating. Lucky for me, it lived up to the hype and was my most streamed album last year according to Spotify.

Released with mixed to positive reviews, Bad Suns’ “Apocalypse Whenever” debuted on January 28th, 2022.

Described by the band, “Apocalypse Whenever” is “the soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t yet exist”. Combining their classic 80’s dream pop sound with front-man Christopher “Christo” Bowman’s love of Japanese City Pop, as stated in an interview with Atwood Magazine. In an interview with The Fader, Bowman explains that “Apocalypse Whenever” is “…the truest form of self-expression on this record. All the stuff that you’re hearing is all the types of music that I’m incredibly influenced by — from synth-pop, eighties new wave and Japanese city pop and dream pop and emo and pop punk. It’s just the most fucking me album I could think to make right now”.

For this review, I’ll be heavily referencing the interview with Atwood Magazine.

Bowman says that the album is “…like trailing back and you see your life flash before your eyes in that moment. That’s kind of what this record is, all of that stuff along the way that was kind of messy.”. The title track “Apocalypse Whenever” dives deep into this theme immediately with the opening line “Life tried to break me, then life fell apart” and “Life’s not been pretty, but I’m still not ready to die. I’ve never felt so alive. Alright.”. As stated in the Atwood interview, this album as a concept, “follows the idea of what comes after a near-death experience”, which is heavily evident. The track is about the protagonist reflecting on the past, and remaining optimistic despite their mistakes and fears. Every instrument gets its chance to shine through in this song and it’s an absolutely delightful way to start off the album.

Following that 80’s dream theme, “Summer Lightning” fits that perfectly with its intro. The heavy use of the synths and almost robotic filter on Bowman’s voice combined with the acoustic-sounding guitar makes this song feel like a nostalgic yesterday which fits the lyrics quite well. The protagonist is reminiscing on the ups and downs of a relationship, how they’re beautiful and exciting, but are suddenly unpredictable like lightning.

I think by far my favorite song on this album is the lead single “Baby Blue Shades”. It took first place as my most listened-to song in 2022 and for good reason, as it’s the most popular track on the record. In the interview with Atwood, Bowman says that “For him, those baby blue shades were the opposite of rose-colored glasses”. While “rose-colored glasses” typically refer to an optimistic view of something, “Baby Blue Shades” are referring to a more pessimistic view. The song is all about “the idea that the person you’re with is somebody who’s sort of looking at life through blue-tinted glasses as opposed to rose-colored glasses, and just trying to break free of that”, Bowman states. The guitars on this track are second to none. That, the vocalizing, the synths, and the vocals all combining and exploding at the end makes this one of, if not the best piece on the album as a whole.

Falling back into that 80’s style dreamlike state, “Peachy” is all about the highs of life. I first heard this song when the band released a teaser that was only available by calling “1–478-BAD-SUNS”. This was the moment that really excited me for this album and I haven’t looked back (calling that number at the time of publishing leads to a recording of the band advertising for the Apocalypse Whenever tour). The lyrics “It’s hard to imagine, hard to believe. Can this really happen? Are we just a dream?” tell the tale of the protagonist looking back with rose-colored glasses instead of some baby blue shades. The piano-like synths on this track are the absolute best part and make it feel like a dream.

Following these unstoppable feelings of a summer gone, the record follows up with “When The World Was Mine”. The protagonist once again reminisces of the past, but this time how they once spent their time with someone without a care in the world doing whatever they wanted, and how they wish to do that again and chase that feeling of “ruling the world”, “laying in bed” and “saying all of the words left unsaid”. The instrumental solo during this track as well as the way Bowman sings the lines “One more round, knock me down, I’m weightless. Hold on now, let’s slow down” are honestly the best parts of the song.

“Wishing Fountains” is the only acoustic song on the record and it’s also an outlier on the piece as a whole. While it still fits that 80’s nostalgic vibe with the softer vocals and more relaxed instrumentals, nothing on the album can quite compare to it. The song itself is about a breakup, as noted in the line “The world’s not falling apart. But you and I, baby, we are”. Despite the feeling that the protagonist is experiencing, they’re coming to terms with them and overcoming them as best they can.

Up next is “Electric Circus”, a song all about cell phones. In today’s world, almost everyone spends their time endlessly scrolling through whatever the hot new app is. It’s no secret that social media apps tend to “trash the self-esteem” of its user who only wants to “feel some sense of purpose”. While their social life is their pride, it’s also the protagonist’s shame as “nothing’s what it seems at this electric circus”. While this track isn’t as stripped down as “Wishing Fountains”, it’s still one of the more relaxed songs on the album, a lot of it due to the more low-key baseline and vocalizing.

In “Nightclub (Waiting for You)”, we hear a somewhat melancholy tone along with a pretty laid-back bass. The heavy use of synths in the melody is disenchanting and almost eerie. This fits the theme of the song quite well as the protagonist is pouring their heart out about how they’re still longing for a love that’s been lost. While they’re revisiting places that they used to frequent and wishing for their beloved to return, they know deep down that things won’t ever work out.

Picking up the energy with some much more enthusiastic synths, drums, and guitars is “Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me”. While it may not seem like it from the title, the song is in fact a love song. The protagonist is singing about how they were having depressive and negative thoughts, but after meeting someone, they’re now able to see the light. While their relationship ultimately helped them, and knowing that being with someone can also be tough and cause some amount of pain, life was easier when they were alone as they now need to care for someone else.

Keeping up the tempo, “Heaven Is A Place In My Head” is probably one of the higher intensity songs on the record with an incredible guitar solo, solid synth carrying the beat along with the drums, and some really nice piano melodies, there’s no wonder why this was the second single off of the album. Reminiscing on a past summer, the protagonist is longing for their past relationship, hoping to escape into their memories and relive them, even if they’re no longer with the person.

The bass, guitar, and synths show no sign of stopping in “Silently Screaming”. As Bowman states, this song is “about this sort of Stockholm Syndrome and this inability to walk away from something which is clearly bad for you”. While the protagonist is struggling with their love for their partner, they’ve recognized that the relationship has become unhealthy. Despite this, the sense of security and familiarity their partner brings is the only reason they’re still with them as they have every reason to let go.

Slowing things down a bit more before closing things out “Grace (I Think I’m In Love Again)”, a song all about falling in love. The protagonist exclaims that they’re in love again as they’re experiencing happiness they’ve never felt before. After falling in love at first sight, they hope to hang on to the intense feeling of their love until they die.

Ending off the album is “Symphony Of Lights”, a lyric that we heard in “Peachy”. Unlike most of the other songs on this record, the closing track is all about being there for someone else when they’re down and out. The best part of this song is the ending where it sounds like a record is ending, and then a xylophone plays that mimics the intro of the title track, making the album feel like it’s come full circle ending a dream sequence.

While this concludes the original album, Bad Suns released 2 more singles before leading up to a deluxe edition that includes another track. 5 months after the initial album’s release, “Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me” was remixed by the incredible Robotaki. While the lyrics are the same the energy is much higher. Robotaki cranks up the synths and provides an amazing remix.

A few weeks later on August 1st, Bad Suns teamed up with PVRIS’s Lynn Gunn to release “Maybe You Saved Me”. The song itself is about two people who were once together but have now gone their separate ways. Bowman sings from the point of view of someone who felt they were going backward in life and ultimately unable to make any progress. Gunn sings from the point of view of someone who felt that they were being underappreciated. The breakup, which may very well have been mutual feels as if by doing so they both were able to move forward in a much healthier way. The guitars and vocals on this track are an absolute delight. If you have to choose one song on this album to listen to, I’d suggest this one.

Finally, releasing with the deluxe edition on September 30th, 2022, “Life Jacket” is a song about finding security and safety in someone that you love. The soft guitars lend themselves well to dream-like synths on this one, and Bowman’s vocalizing is always a treat. The protagonist is exclaiming that they’ll always be there for their loved ones and will do their best to treat them right.

Final Thoughts

“Apocalypse Whenever” is a modern indie rock album that manages to feel nostalgic and capture that 80’s vibe that Bad Suns has become known for. The record beautifully captures the feeling of a memory in a way that I haven’t experienced in music before and it’s rather incredible.

References:
Epitaph: Bad Suns — Apocalypse Whenever | Epitaph Records
Atwood Magazine: Interview: Bad Suns Show Life in a New Light on 4th Album ‘Apocalypse Whenever’ — Atwood Magazine
Fader: Bad Suns finds meaning in a fictionalized Los Angeles-meets-Tokyo paradise on Apocalypse Whenever! | The FADER

Album Score: 10/10
Favorite Track: “Baby Blue Shades”

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