Written by Brandon George
Far too often these days people are finding themselves crushed under the infinite stressors of life. “Bubblebath,” the latest hit from Julia Brex and Jackson Hoffman’s New York City synth-pop duo BAD, is all about eschewing that weight in favor of those vital moments of self-care we find so little time for.
A follow-up to their galactic funk epic “Jupiter” from June, “Bubblebath” opts instead to emulate quieter, more personal moments of joy. From the very first moments the song makes a strong impression.
A brilliantly bizarre tuned bass drum squelches as singer Julia Brex delivers the line “I been crying ‘cause it’s good for me,” with spitfire staccato. A bevvy of auxiliary percussion and sampled instrumentation then build around funk chords and ad-libbed harmonies.
The verses of the song are so vibrant and energetic it makes the core hook of the chorus hit that much harder. After an ascending pad, the instrumentation thins to highlight Brex’ voice taking on a more apathetic tone.
In between bright vocal pads and exquisite harmonies Brex repeats the song’s title in a brilliant rhythmic lilt. Synth strings trade off between unison runs of the vocals and a call and response that brings to mind the greatest of 90s pop tunes.
This escalation between the strings and vocals continues through until the end of the song up until a climactic, soulful bridge, subverted at the very last second to dive into one more chorus. It’s a moment that seems emblematic of the song’s message.
This grandiose, instrumentation-heavy section abruptly ends to return to the bouncy, jovial chorus.
“Bubblebath” is a short tune, lasting only two and a half minutes, lending to its catchiness and imminent replayability. It’s an instant add to any playlist and an excellent swan song for the Summer of 2021.
To keep up with the band you can follow them on Twitter @thebandbad! Make sure you check out "Bubblebath", which is out now on all streaming platforms. Let us know what you think of “Bubblebath” by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!