Fresh off a national tour with French metalcore heavyweights LANDMVRKS, announcing a coveted spot on the just-announced BIGSOUND 2025 lineup, and their addition to the inaugural Converge Festival this September, Bad Juju are firing on all fronts.
With a wave of new music looming, today sees the arrival of their searing new single, ‘Incision’, a grungy cut that teases at a dark new Bad Juju.
We caught up with frontman Russ Holland for an inside look at the creative fuel driving Bad Juju this year, from studio lock-ins to life on the road and what comes next.
BLUNT: You’ve had a massive year already, kicking off 2025 with a national run alongside LANDMVRKS. How was that experience?
Russ Holland: It was great! We played to the biggest crowds that we have to date. The Landmvrks guys were super friendly and it was a pleasure to watch them play. We learnt a lot from the whole experience. Shout out to Fallweather who killed it on the tour also.
B: You’ve been teasing new music with ‘Honey‘ released in May, and today’s new single ‘Incision (cut you out)’ how has the creative process felt this time around compared to previous releases? Do these two singles signal a greater release for you this year?
R: We worked with Jack Newlyn (Between You & Me, Bellehaven, Bukowski) this time, which was great. He was especially great to collaborate with on vocal melodies and lead guitar lines. He put up with our weird sense of humour and somehow managed to stay focused haha. Sam Bassal (Ocean Grove, Thornhill, 50 Lions) mixed and mastered the record. He nailed the sound tones we were after. And you can expect some news on a greater release pretty soon!
B: Tell us about your new song ‘Incision’? Is there a theme you’re exploring? What’s inspiring the direction of the new material?
R: This song is about betrayal, false apologies, and the fallout of being caught out. People often aren’t really sorry in these situations, they’re just sorry they got caught. They become outcasted and have to live with the regret. You won’t catch me feeling sorry for them.
B: Sonically, both new singles are heavier and more moody than ‘Blue Heaven’. Was that a conscious shift? What sparked it?
R: Musically, we’ve always written music that comes from the emotions we’ve been dealing with. This time we had a few things to be pissed off about, and you can tell. We decided not to hold back some of our heavy music background to reflect that but we made sure it stills feels like Bad Juju. It was a tricky balance to find but we’re happy with where we landed.
B: The music videos have taken on a grunge/lofi feel, what’s been inspiring the visual side of Bad Juju this year?
R: Our inspiration comes from the resurgence of bands sounding like they are from the Myspace era. Bands like Static Dress and Foreign Hands have that nostalgic feel that’s really sick. It took us down a bit of a rabbit hole, watching videos of older bands, and the less HD aesthetic just felt more classic and authentic. We worked with Cian at Noise Complaint who was really great at replicating that feeling.
B: Congrats on being announced for BIGSOUND 2025! Is there anything you’re hoping to get from your time at the showcase this year?
R: We played Bigsound in the first year we were a band and we were really disappointed with our performances, so this is about going back to square one and nailing it. It was a bit of a rushed start to the band. That was 7 years ago and we’ve come such a long way. We are looking forward to meeting new people in the industry and exploring the opportunities we get after we show them what we’ve got!
B: How do you approach a showcase set where you’re performing for both industry heads and first-time listeners?
R: The aim is to create something that looks ready for the big stage, that looks and sounds professional. We always want to try to make first time-listeners stop what they are doing and be drawn into the show. We’ll try our best to engage the crowd and make sure it’s a fun show for everyone who comes to check us out.
B: With everything you’ve got lined up – new music, festival slots, and a big second half of the year – what’s the one thing Bad Juju wants to be remembered for in 2025?
R: We just want to sound unique and have a great live show to watch. So, if someone watches us and gets something good out of it, that’s a huge win for us.
