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There’s no fun in feeling used.
Quite often. it seems as though our society ranks individuals solely on their talents, physical abilities, financial status, their appearance, and many other factors. Actually, scratch that. It happens every single day, and it has the potential to truly affect the way we perceive or own selves.
Take for example: My A subtle self-esteem drop when hopping on Tik Tok and seeing thousands, perhaps even millions of people cheering for someone showing off their luxury cars and designer clothes. There’s been tons of times when I’ve seen it all, and just wished I had a totally different body type. I wished I had the ability to flip my silky, blown-out hair in a cool breeze as I walked into a Tesla Model S. I wished I could have a home in Beverly Hills to walk into and do little dances in and have tons of people commenting “YAS QUEEN!” on the videos. But the truth is, none of that would necessarily make me happier. It wouldn’t make my stressors magically disappear, and without a doubt, there would be tons of people trying to reach me or get closer to me because of my material possessions or numbers on social media.
So… you may find yourself asking, why is it that some gravitate towards others solely because of everything BUT their heart? Why do so many people around us seem to ditch or devalue one another when they can no longer use the other person’s resources to get ahead?
We’re all humans, not objects that were made to be used and perhaps returned. No one was born wearing a price tag, so why are we made to feel like we’re wearing one… especially online?
This is a topic I could literally spend all day and night talking about. I’m sure BAD CHILD could as well, but instead, he’s singing about it in his new album Free Trial!
Since releasing his debut EP Sign Up in 2019, BAD CHILD has become one of Canada’s hottest rising stars. He’s been closely observing the world around him over the years, and using music as a way to make sense of it all.
Free Trial is a sonic adventure that was birthed by some of BAD CHILD’s feelings on how humans treat one another. He says, “I started writing ‘Free Trial’ as a reaction to how I saw people using each other in love and in business, especially online. Almost as if they were Free Trials. I felt a coldness and disconnect from those around me after the trauma I had experienced. This album to a degree was the beginning of my journey trying to understand myself. It’s neurotic and childish in some ways and extremely adult and empty in others.”
Each song serves as another chapter in BAD CHILD’s story. It all started with his self-titled track, and everything else fell into place afterwards. He explains, “The first song I ever wrote ‘BAD CHILD’ its auto filtered guitar and drum machine. I remember feeling free when I sang about my trauma and when people reacted to me saying it helped them, I knew I had to write more. Songs like ‘Rouge’ dive into the intimacy of becoming an adult and how love is violent and delicate. ‘Royalty’ is a song I want to scare people, it’s about wanting too much and becoming enveloped in greed. It’s very angry and NIN inspired it heavily.”
Good things often take time, and Free Trial is an album that has been five years in the making. BAD CHILD spills, “Five years of time passed while making this. I started when I was 18, I remember the summer was colored by Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde.’ I’ve turned into an adult since then. I’m turning 24 next month. This album in a lot of ways is my coming of age. I listen back to it and I feel like I’m listening to an experiment come alive. Its disregard for genre and technique makes me excited for the next chapters in this project. I feel like I’ve knocked down a barrier of my identity. At the end of the day when you hear this record, you’re starting your Free Trial of me.”
Are you ready to begin? If so, listen to Free Trial below!
