Secret Bad Boy is back to build a universe where music and visual art completely collide. Read below as we talk synth rigs, alter egos, and the art of crafting songs for the imagination.
Describe your sound in 3 words
Cathode ray Netflix.
You’ve described Secret Bad Boy as an “art-pop project.” How does visual art or non-musical imagery typically dictate the sound textures and arrangements you build?
Essentially everything we’re about to show you as a band is visual as well as audible. This is part of the reason for our long absence from making music publicly: we didn’t want to release more music until we were sure we could build a world for the songs that could be experienced visually. The videos for our forthcoming songs each explore a different corner of the same universe. It’s hard to accept, as a musician, that what you hear is only part of what you experience when listening to music. When we’re making this material, the music always comes first (except in the case of the song “Black-winged Stilt,” based on a painting) and it’s always the focal point. But meeting people where they are, right now, means guiding them to a certain place in their imagination, and nothing does that quite like the moving picture.
Your tracks span everything from spoken word to heavy, nihilistic synth jams. How do you decide which genre or texture best serves the story you’re trying to tell?
We spent a lot of time, years really, in what I call the “Ouija board” stage of the band, where we ask mysterious spirits, “what the hell kind of band is this?” We decided we would keep making songs in whatever genre felt right at the moment until we had enough of them that would make sense together. Fortunately, many music listeners have rid themselves of the expectation that a band has to sound a certain way all the time.
Your most honest and personal lyric?
Probably the whole of “Bugs on the Windshield.” It’s as clearly as I could write about the loneliness I felt at the time. But I would also say that the most honest and personal lyrics are in songs that haven’t come out yet.
You have a good network of collaborators, Woody Goss, Packy Lundholm, Mat Roberts, Paul Von Mertens, Ezra Furman. What is the environment like when you bring these distinct artists into the Secret Bad Boy world?
The creative process of these tracks begins and ends with Noam Wallenberg and me, and we’re pretty picky about doing things ourselves. If we can figure out a way to make a sound ourselves, we’re going to do it. So if we’ve brought someone else in, it’s because the only way we can capture what we want is by getting that particular human in the room with that song. So when we get people together it’s just fun. It’s play. There’s a reason the word “play” is what you do with an instrument, and also what a kid does in a sandbox, right? We just try to build somebody a little sandbox and let them play in it.
Artists and people that have influenced you?
Many close listeners will probably note the influence of bands like Wilco and of Montreal that do a lot of storytelling through sound design as well as songwriting. I don’t think I’ve ever made a record that didn’t reference Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Hissing Fauna in some way. One big non-musical influence for me lately is a sports psychology article by the writer Rustin Dodd, that talks about the long history of athletes using alter egos to let go of their sense of self and self-consciousness. So in the way that sports referencing acting can be relevant to music, that’s been relevant to me.
Synths are central to the identity of Secret Bad Boy. What are your go-to hardware or soft synths when you start a new project?
These days, I’m trying to get out of the habit of reaching for my favorite instruments all the time… But Noam (Wallenberg) has a Juno-106 that stays wired in at all times. I’ll play a part, capture the midi, and run it back in while doing a performance on the cutoff knob or the wobbles or whatever parameters. I also have a Prophet 12 that has lived some lives. It’s a strange and unique beast, and very expressive.
In which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
I would assume that most of the time, artists imagine listeners giving their full attention, totally spiritually engrossed in a song. (Except for maybe Wendy Carlos or Erik Satie). But there’s something beautiful about music that works when it’s the center of attention or when it’s just blending into life. I suspect that some of our tracks will work on this level, and would be happy if they do. A few of the tracks are going to truly demand that you either listen to them or turn them off. But some will probably work as background music, and if so, that’s wonderful.
What is the story behind your name?
I was on an active hunt for a band name, writing down any candidates and asking all my friends to do the same. I was playing with the artist Paul Cherry, and we were getting dressed backstage before a show. The musician Justin Vittori, a mild-mannered fellow who wore glasses and sweaters, removed his shirt to reveal a torso covered in tattoos. Paul called him “secret bad boy” and then shouted, “there’s your band name!” I know the name is silly, but I like that people don’t quite know what to make of it. I think it could have a few meanings depending on how you read it. I think of it as a band name, but I know it comes off as a personal moniker, which is fine too.
Thank you!
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