Bad With Phones In Conversation With FAULT Magazine

Thursday 27th June 2024

Bad With Phones, the enigmatic artist whose unique blend of weirdo pop, spoken word, R&B, and indie-electro has captivated audiences, releases his new single “TICKET”. Bad With Phones, aka Manny, continues to evolve with his upcoming album “CRASH,” set to launch on July 12th. The album, inspired by a life-changing car crash, promises a collection of intimate anthems and psychedelic journeys. We sat down with Bad With Phones to delve deeper into his inspirations, the creation of “TICKET,” and his musical journey.

FAULT Magazine: Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind “TICKET” and its creation process?

Bad With Phones: “TICKET” is quite the epic love story of having to let a beautiful thing go for the sake of following your purpose. Finding out that a person you thought you would one day build a life with isn’t seeing that same vision. I co-wrote this with a close friend of mine, and the song wasn’t my initial intention, but I could relate also; it’s a story about a man with a broken heart.

FAULT Magazine: The album “CRASH” is set to release on July 12th and is inspired by a life-changing car crash. How did this experience shape the music and themes of the album?

Bad With Phones: I wouldn’t say the crash completely inspired the project, but it was a monumental moment in the process that was impactful enough to give it the title at the very least and to graze on moments of the experience in some of the later songs on the project. The crash was, I would say, a catalyst to really get a move on with my work and gave me some personal lessons.

FAULT Magazine: You mention that “CRASH” is like a “sonic therapy session” for you. Can you elaborate on how music has been therapeutic for you in the aftermath of your car crash?

Bad With Phones: Music has always been a healthy escape tool for me that has only produced positive results for myself and others. When the monotonous grind of everyday life makes you dizzy and leaves you with a million questions, having a place to let out my grievances or even the beauty I see when looking at the world—music is there as a tool. So surely, no matter what the situation, I will still dabble in the art.

FAULT Magazine: Your music blends many different genres. Is this by chance and just a reflection of your tastes, or do you set out to find new ways of blending music?

Bad With Phones: Yes, I love this approach to blending genres. It’s an experiment I seek when making music. I like a lot of genres from jazz to indie to folk and all the in-betweens. So I try to reattempt the things I’m personally drawn to. I consciously don’t use samples, so although I’m not against it, I’d just rather write the section myself or with the team.

FAULT Magazine: Your name, Bad With Phones, comes from a six-month phone-free social experiment. How did this experiment impact your creativity and your approach to making music?

Bad With Phones: It really didn’t affect me musically much except give me more time to write songs! But it gave me permission to think independently and spiritual practice, which is high on my to-do list. So it just allowed me to develop more rituals that were giving to my soul, and socially it just helped me cut out characters in my life who weren’t there for the best interest.

FAULT Magazine: What’s been the most challenging hurdle you’ve had to overcome on your musical journey?

Bad With Phones: Getting over the perception of who you think you are and then dealing with the projection that’s put on you once you start sharing music. It can all get a bit confusing.

What is your FAULT?

I would say my biggest fault is caring too much about what I think and what others think; thoughts come and go every second.