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[Photo via 'Artist Friendly']

6 takeaways from Noah Sebastian of Bad Omens’ Artist Friendly interview

Bad Omens are getting more recognition than ever. Beyond their viral “butt-rock” hit “Just Pretend,” which the band recently shared a music video for, the alt-metal outfit are gearing up for a fall tour that’s bound to sell out. To get into it all, vocalist Noah Sebastian stopped by the Artist Friendly office for an hour-and-a-half conversation with Joel Madden. During the episode, the pair dive into how prioritizing his physical health created better live shows, new music, and being a perfectionist, among other topics.

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Before you listen to the new episode, we rounded up some takeaways from their conversation. Check them out below.

Bad Omens are in the best place possible right now

During the episode, Madden asks the Bad Omens vocalist a pertinent question: “Do you feel like the band is in the best place it’s ever been?” Sebastian thinks so. Beyond garnering more fans and selling out bigger tours, he believes everyone in their circle is “amazing at what they do,” from their crew members to his own bandmates. “It’s almost scary how smooth it’s going,” he laughs. “I’m inclined from my youth to be like, ‘Where is the danger?’”

He improved their live shows by prioritizing his physical health

Bad Omens put on an unforgettable live show, but Sebastian believes that by prioritizing his physical health, they shot to another level. In 2021, he become more interested in cardio and taking care of his voice. He even rehearsed “harder and longer” before hitting the road. “It improved my voice immensely. I feel like a huge part of what improved our live show was me becoming a better singer because [the rest of the band] were already all great at their instruments. They were always really solid, and I was the weight,” he explains.

The band just finished a demo for a new song

Throughout the episode, Sebastian talks about their new music in pieces. At one point, he admits that a demo they just completed went through “four versions, two different tempos, three different keys, [and] two different genres.” He even says there was a “whole different instrumental foundation behind it,” but that was changed, too. “We could not hack the chorus, so we picked it apart, rebuilt it, and finally were like, ‘This is it. This is where it’s supposed to go,’” he says. We can only imagine how epic it’s going to sound.

Sebastian makes music backward

When he creates music, Sebastian compares the process to feeling like he’s in “a laboratory.” He even mentions that he’ll produce or mix while he’s writing, which he admits is “insane and backwards,” but it’s what makes a Bad Omens song stand apart. “I’ll do a vocal over a piano part and then build a whole new song around the vocal, or I’ll make a cool beat that helps me come up with a different swagger or cadence for a vocal part and then rebuild it again because I couldn’t have come up with that vocal part without that instrumental behind it, but I don’t want that instrumental,” he explains.

Bad Omens are working on two new albums

One of the most significant parts of the episode is when Sebastian confirms that Bad Omens are working on new music. “In a way, we’re working on two records at once,” the vocalist admits. The first is a deluxe called Concrete Forever — just like the name of their fall tour — which will contain remixes, stripped-down songs, and originals with collaborations. “Then in the middle of working on that, we’re working on music that we’re considering for-album music,” he says. Sebastian also mentions the band want to do a song with ERRA so they can play it on tour later this year. But though there are plans in the works, timing is everything. “It’s important to me not to rush anything. That’s always a priority, even if it takes me a year or three years. I’m gonna make the best album first,” he stresses.

He is starting to recognize his band’s influence

Madden believes that Bad Omens are leading the way for other bands to thrive. “If you guys succeed, it means more people can succeed behind you,” he points out. Sebastian agrees, saying it’s “becoming undeniable” as he speaks to more people about the band, especially those he looks up to and admires like Madden. “It’s a hard thing to accept — that you’re part of whatever the new wave is of influential music,” Sebastian says.