The Lovely Bad Things- New Ghost/Old Waves EP

The Lovely Bad Things, consisting of brothers Brayden and Camron Ward, Timothy Hatch, and Lauren Curtius, are simply put the ideal family of a band, with each member being able to play every single instrument. So to say when you see them live, you can watch the musicians switch off between drums, guitar, bass, as well as singing. Their New Ghost/Old Waves EP, following the hyped Shark Week tape, was just released off Burger Records this July with a coinciding West Coast tour.
Based in La Mirada, the band is accredited for holding legendary shows at the “Bad Pad” with other local bands and also some well known artists such as Ty Segall and Peter Bjorn and John (with the Ward brothers’ parents in full support). The entire tape definitely has the whole garage DIY sound, but The Lovely Bad Things demonstrate their innate talent with the range of style their songs are able to achieve.
The EP begins with a washed-out, surfy pop feel during “You Done Messed Up,” which includes incredible harmonies between Camron, Brayden, and Curtius, setting the vocal trend for the rest of the tracks.  The lyrics reflect typical problems of youth such as “You need someone to talk to/ but no one really wants to,” that can also be seen in the slower “I Just Want You to Go Away,” when Brayden belts “I don’t know what I’m searching for/but I know that you’re not it,” “I don’t know what I want anymore/I just want you to go away.”
The band takes on a less serious note near the end of the tape with quirky “Dinosaur Song” and “Blood on My Moccasins.” “Dinosaur Song,” the EP’s shortest and most fast-paced track, comes in more quickly than the rest of the songs, in which Curtius is able to show off her vocal array while being complemented by Hatch’s harsh shouts. “Blood on My Moccasins” takes the EP back to the beachy groove with some acoustics and soft tambourine, while Curtius’s melodious “oohhs” counteract the lyrics “You got a face as ugly as sin/well you got blood on my moccasins.”
From eccentric song titles to heavier lyrics, New Ghost/Old Waves is tremendously catchy, and you cannot help but get the tracks stuck in your head after a few listens. It is the perfect tape to get The Lovely Bad Things on your radar, and it certainly should be a part of your end of summer soundtrack.
Track List:
You Done Messed Up
I Just Want You to Go Away
Icee Creeps
Old Ghost
Dinosaur Song
New Waves
Blood On My Moccasins

(Aly Vander Hayden)