Photo Credit: Jared Ayotte
Brazen and audacious as ever, NOT THE MAIN CHARACTERS use “bad things” as a delightfully diabolical introduction, showcasing each of their unique personalities on the glitchy and catchy tune. Produced by Jahs (GAYLE, Yungblud), “bad things” is the third single from NOT THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ upcoming debut EP BAD THINGS COME IN 3’S out May 20th.
1. What do you think makes this song stand out?
Perrin: The production in ‘bad things’ is just nuts. From the drum and bass sections, to crazy percussion sounds, to cool vocal chops and processing,I don’t think we’ve ever heard a song like this before.
Tammy: ‘Bad things’ is insane because I feel like we managed to write our own personal lil theme song. The production is weird but also super bright and uptempo. All I can imagine is all three of us running around as mini cartoon characters. If we had our own tv show this would definitely be the intro.
2. What was the creative process for this track?
Gabi: Tbh, this was by far the hardest song to write. The sonic palette and key we were in was so unfamiliar at first that it made coming up with melodies really tricky. We’ve never written a song where we each have our own verse purely about us before, so it was kind of a balancing act doing it right. We wanted it to be a fun portrayal of us through the lens of the powerpuff girls, without coming off like cornballs lol.
Tammy: We re-wrote this song so! many! times! I’m sure we have a graveyard of tragic voice memos with all the melodies that didn’t make the cut. The melody & lyrics in the verses took us a hot min to get right but finally we got there.
3. What inspired your lyrics?
Gabi: We drew from the traits of each powerpuff girl in combination with our own personalities to introduce ourselves to listeners. In Perrin’s verse, she says “You can call me bubbles but I’m not bubbly […] if I get the ick then you’re dead to me,” which I love because it’s so very ~perrin~ to get the ick with a new guy, but she’s also sensitive and sweet in the way that Bubbles from PPG is. My fav lyric in my verse is “monsters at the party call us baddies inc.” cause I think it’s frickin hilarious and also very true.
4. What message do you want to convey with this?
Tammy: We wanted to write a song that combined us being straight chaos but also cool, calm, & collected. Both sides are equally present just trying to coexist. So this song is for all the chaotic baddies out there. Even though life can feel like a mess sometimes, it doesn’t mean you’re not a baddie™.
5. What do you feel like when you listen back to this song?
Perrin: Honestly, a ~baddie~. I feel like this is the perfect song to hype you and your friends up before going out at night or if you need something to yell the words to driving over the speed limit on the highway hehe (not that we ever do that…).
6. What is the worst and best part about being in a band?
Gabi: Picking a cohesive vibe for photoshoots can be a mind problem lol. We have such distinct styles (just like the powerpuff girls hehe), so choosing outfits that reflect our individuality while looking like a unit can be a real head scratcher lmao.
