Bad Child – Sign Up

Preceding his forthcoming debut album, Canadian singer-songwriter BAD CHILD has released a nine track EP titled Sign Up. Meant to be a pseudo-instructional guide for love in the digital age, the album features  “instructions” that attempt to help the listener navigate the complicated world of online dating that has defined courtship in this generation. This digital theme carries over to the music, with a tracklist full of electro-pop bangers that help establish this rising artists’ sound. Tracks like Pretty Girls and Desert Island Lover are reminiscent of bands like Glass Animals, with eclectic, experimental instrumentation and vocals stylistically similar to Dave Bayley’s. At the same time, other vocal performances, like those on Bad Child and Payback, get intensely gritty and emotional, illustrating how deeply personal and heartfelt these songs are to their creator. He aimed to create tracks “true to his soul” and I believe that shines through. Underneath the passionate vocal delivery, the production throughout the project is full of arpeggiated synths, and simple, yet effective drum beats, with the occasional acoustic guitar loop, like on Picking Cherries. All things considered, every aspect comes together to form a piece of work that is contemporary in all the right ways.