Indie Rock Trio Bad Bad Hats release their new upbeat album Walkman

For Off Record Blog’s first feature interview, ORB admin Keylee sits down with Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats to discuss their most recent album Walkman.

Bad Bad Hats are an indie rock trio from Minneapolis that consists of guitarist/vocalist Kerry, bassist Chris and drummer Con. The band is known for their exuberant presence at live shows and have toured with bands such as the Front Bottoms and Hippo Campus, and are now back with their third album Walkman.

The band has released two previous LPs and a handful of EPs, but this time they show what they are capable of as a trio. Walkman is an amazing collection of explosive guitar riffs and witty yet nostalgic lyrics, resulting in some of their best work to date. Off Record talks with Kerry about the band’s influences, differences in previous works as well as their upcoming Fall tour.

ORB: Thanks for making the time to meet with us! I’m  stoked to talk about Walkman, but first I wanted to congratulate y’all on the album’s release! How does it feel releasing the album after a year of being in quarantine?

KA: It’s always exciting to release a new album, it’s  a celebratory moment in band life when you get to put your art into the world. Everything worked out in our favor because luckily, the release of the album wasn’t really affected by the pandemic! It also worked out because this is the first time the band has been together for an album release date. We even had a first listen live stream party, which we have never done before! Now we want to do one every time we release an album.

ORB: I discovered you guys when I was watching an episode of Catfish on MTV with my mom and I heard the song “A Bout” from your 2013 EP.MTV might not be a music channel anymore, but they still feature a lot of up & coming artists on their shows. How does it feel to garner more fans through these kinds of features?

KA: You never know when and how you are going to get new fans. For example, the guy who created our album artwork heard us at his job at Starbucks! Someone else told us that they heard our music on the elevator at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. We’re all around! Even for me, so many of the songs I love I discovered through rom-com soundtracks. You get the opportunity to associate the song with a scene or a time in your life. I always love to hear how people discovered us. And if someone doesn’t know who we are, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE to discover us!

ORB: One of the singles for Walkman was “Detroit Basketball.” The video is fun and quirky with such an amazing end goal. What inspired the idea for the music video?

KA: The main gag of the video is getting the band back together that leads up to this small event. Everything leads up to such a small and funny moment, but it also partially speaks out to life during the pandemic. After so long of being disconnected from people and taking small things for granted, it was a moment to celebrate any opportunity that was given to us to play shows, since that’s what we love doing.

ORB: Yes that’s exactly the vibe I got! I even noticed that everyone had their own “role.”  Why did you choose those specific roles?

KA: Mostly just started with puns, but  we also just matched each member’s vibe. Chris has the vibe of an old man hobbyist, and we also found miniature chips online, so he was meant to have chips in a bottle business. Con is the sportiest in the band, so I thought “what is the least sporty and most funniest thing he could do” and we thought puzzling. As for me, I had a black turtleneck and a headset, resulting in my motivational speaker role. 

ORB: Let’s dive into Walkman! The album seems to surround the themes of love and strong connections, and it enforces that with it’s majestic tones and soothing lyrics. What is the story behind this theme and what was the writing process like? 

KA: The main thing I had in mind was that I wanted to write an album that was more guitar driven and upbeat, which played into the strengths of the band as a trio. I also wanted to write songs that would be fun to play live! Lyrically, I did my usual thing with writing love songs, specifically about unrequited love and break ups. I wanted to write about different stuff, for example, the song “Quarter Past” is about heartbreak between friends — you know that your friend found love and you are happy for them, but you know that they are going to spend less time with you. I also always wanted to write about my dad who died when I was 16, but I could never figure out how. The song “Priority” was my first attempt to do so and it was cool to write about a different kind of love, which was different to songs that I’ve written in the past. 

ORB: There are notable differences between Walkman and your previous albums like  Psychic Reader and Lightning Round. How different was the approach to this album compared to the ones you’ve put out before? 

KA: It was a lot of the same but some differences. It was more similar to Psychic Reader in terms of the schedule, since we worked on it in such a condensed timeline. Lightning Round has a more dramatic flourish and seems more over the top because we worked on it in a span of five weeks. Walkman didn’t need that kind of time, and we aimed to record songs that were easier to play for just three people.

ORB: The structure of the album is amazing, and the aesthetic of the album is so cute! I know you mentioned the designer who illustrated your album cover is a fan. What’s the story behind the album cover?

KA: We always leave the album cover to the last minute! This one, we had no idea what it was going to be. Simon Sosa sent us a direct message on Instagram, and he said he heard our song and that he drew us a design for a T-Shirt. As soon as I saw it, I knew it belonged on our album cover. It’s so cute, and it fits the mood of the album perfectly! It had the right level of whimsy and retro vibes — we had to buy it. 

ORB: There are so many catchy and really well-written tracks on Walkman. Personally, one of my favorite songs is “Awkward Phase” because it reminds me so much of my teenage phase.

KA: “Awkward Phase” is definitely one of the oldest songs, because you know songs take time and time to develop. I really wanted to write a “prom” love song, and the bridge is my most Taylor Swift bridge. This one is always a fun one to play live! One of my favorite tracks is the title track “Walkman,” which started out as a voice memo and became fully formed. It has that 2001 Sheryl Crow bounce. 

ORB: You’re promoting Walkman with a Headlining Fall Tour that starts this week! It’s a big deal because the pandemic is still lingering but you guys are taking safety precautions, which is awesome! What can fans coming out to see you guys expect from these shows?

KA: It’s going to be lots of fun, and we might be playing the album in its entirety along with the hits. I will be doing my signature rambling in between songs, of course! We can’t wait to play shows because we’ve been doing nothing but livestreams, and it doesn’t feel the same as being in the same room with everyone. My favorite part of the show is sitting at the merch table and saying thank you to everyone who came to the show. We’ll all be masked, and we hope everyone will be masked too.

ORB: You’ve done so much over the last few years and your career is showing such success for everything you’ve done. What’s next for Bad Bad Hats?

KA: We’re always writing songs, and so far we’ve done an every three year album cycle. I’m really hoping to push the schedule a little bit, I want album 4 out sooner! I hope we have even more music for you guys! For now, there is Walkman to enjoy. 

ORB: Is there anything you want our readers or your fans to know before we wrap it up?

KA: I hope everyone is enjoying the album, can’t wait to see everyone on the road soon. 

You can listen to Walkman by Bad Bad Hats on all digital streaming platforms today. You can also catch them at a city near you during their Fall 2021 Headlining Walkman Tour. 

FOLLOW BAD BAD HATS: twitter // instagram // spotify

(NOTE: All of Off Record Blog interviews are minimally edited for length)