Bad Omens broke through in a big way with their latest album, The Death of Peace of Mind, which was released two years ago in February 2022. The title track and the single “Just Pretend” both topped the rock charts, and the band has been selling out shows ever since the LP’s release.
Heavy Consequence caught up with Bad Omens guitarist Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville to discuss the album, as well as plans for new music.
Speaking about the success of “Just Pretend,” which topped both the mainstream rock and alternative radio charts, Jolly remarked in the video interview above, “It just really resonated with a lot of people, I guess. It definitely [caught] fire with the TikTok thing … and that got it a lot of attention.”
He went on to say, “We kind of wrote it as sort of a prank, like, ‘Look at us writing this radio song.’ And the first version of it was [singer] Noah [Sebastian] making it sound kinda butt-rocky for fun. … And then we made it more serious, added good lyrics to it, and were just like, ‘You know what, this is a pretty good song.’ And what do you know, people liked it.”
And while the band is still touring behind The Death of Peace of Mind, Jolly says the wheels are in motion for new music. “We’re out on the road all the time, but when we do go home we are trying to make it into a normal 9 to 5 working and writing scenario. We have some ideas — we have some really cool ones, but we’re definitely turning those gears. … We know it’s time to write new shit, so that’s what we’re doing. And I’m really excited for it.”
Since the interview, Bad Omens released the new song “V.A.N” featuring Poppy. It’s the first taste of new music from their upcoming Concrete Forever project, and was our Heavy Song of the Week upon its release.
Last year, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor cited Bad Omens, Turnstile, and Sleep Token as the acts who are “carrying the flag for heavy music.” See what Jolly told us about that praise, along with further thoughts on the aforementioned topics, in the video above.
Bad Omens will embark on a brief US tour beginning in late April, followed by a UK/European festival run in June and July. Pick up tickets to the stateside shows here, and the UK/European gigs at this location.
Trouble viewing the interview in the player above? Watch on YouTube.