Bad Bloom write songs about the world coming apart and somehow make them beautiful. The Rochester quartet — Kate Rogers, Jay Trovato, Travis Johansen, and guitarist Wally Peck — blend shoegaze fuzz, dreampop melody, and post-punk structure into something that feels urgent and alive. They’ve been building this sound since Brooklyn, and it keeps getting better.
SNQLX: Bitter Things arrived in October — what was the emotional weather like when you finally finished it?
BAD BLOOM: We were incredibly excited when this single came out. It was an attempt to try to hone in our sound and set a baseline for what we’d continue writing. We had the opportunity to work with Ken Andrews from Failure, who mixed and mastered the single. It was an amazing experience and we were so happy with the finished product.
SNQLX: You write and perform together as a tight unit. Where does the band end and real life begin, or has that line dissolved completely?
BAD BLOOM: Me (Kate) and Jay are married, so we are constantly making plans, booking shows, writing, and Travis our drummer is right there in the mix with us to help. We all have full time jobs but are constantly working on things, so I guess the line has dissolved. 🙂
SNQLX: Your lyrics lean toward the state of the world rather than conventional love songs. What does that choice protect you from? What does it cost you?
BAD BLOOM: I think it’s not so much about protection but around truthful inspiration. The project and music lend itself to the lyrics, and what hits me lyrically is often this deep sadness and nostalgia about life that I can’t express otherwise. So, for me, it’s a convential love song to my feelings about being human, and what happens (or could happen) if we lose our love and passion for that.
SQNLX: The sound has always balanced heavy fuzz with something genuinely melodic underneath. How do you know when a song has found the right tension between those two things?
BAD BLOOM: Since Jay, Travis, and I started writing together, that’s been a really natural thing that arises during our songwriting. We all have very different inspirations and backgrounds. Jay has heavier influences, while I have always been into more dreamy indie rock, and Travis is our art rock guy. So, when we write, all of those pieces come through and balance nicely.
SNQLX: You moved from Brooklyn to Rochester mid-pandemic. What did that city give the music that Brooklyn couldn’t?
BAD BLOOM: When Jay and I moved from NYC to Rochester, we were looking for more flexibility with our music. We had both been in and out of bands in Brooklyn for 10 years, and it was kind of difficult to practice, record, and build community the way we did when we lived in smaller cities. We heard that Rochester was a great music city with a strong local community, and moving here has enabled us to write and practice in our own house (!), buy a van, tour, and really thrive musically while still keeping our day jobs.
SQNLX: Working with Candlepin Records on Pepper — what did signing to a label, even an indie one, change about how you moved through that process?
BAD BLOOM: Candlepin was more of partnership for the physical release. Zach and crew really understood what we were attempting to do musically and helped us realize what the release could be like. They were a great guide and motivation to get all the work done.
SNQLX: Ken Andrews mixed and mastered Bitter Things. How much of the final sound was something you handed off, and how much of it was you fighting for it?
BAD BLOOM: When we started the band I (Jay) always had dreams of working with him. The sound he was able to get from his records is so unique and what I love sonically. So when he agreed to work on our song what we got back was exactly what we wanted! Since he is a big influence on my guitar playing and in studio layering I’m sure he instantly knew what was up to. I had 0 notes on how he placed them in the mix on the first pass. It was an absolute pleasure to work with him and I hope we can do it with more of our music. That would be the only “fight” to continue to work with him!
SQNLX: You’ve described Bad Bloom as a pop band at its core, with shoegaze and goth built around it. What’s the pop instinct actually doing underneath all that fuzz and reverb?
BAD BLOOM: I think we want to write songs that stick in your brain, hooks are the most important thing we start with. Then we add in all the fuzz and effects to make it unique to us
SNQLX: The name came from a Nirvana shirt. Does the band still carry any of that DNA, or has it grown into something the name no longer predicts?
BAD BLOOM: I think musically we keep exploring but the attitude of Nirvana will always remain with us. Do whatever you want and tell everyone that thinks they have an idea of what you should be to hit the bricks! I feel like Kurt was punk but wasn’t afraid to challenge punk rock values in the music world. We’re all a bunch of idiots, don’t let some other idiot tell you how it is or how it should be!
Bad Bloom aren’t in a hurry. They moved to a city that made room for them, bought a van, and got to work. The music they are making now is dense, melodic, and quietly uncompromising. It is the sound of four people who figured out exactly what they want to say and figured out how to say it together.
Direct to You.
