BAD OPTICS return with Death Cult Blues, a three song EP being supported by the band’s very first Midwest and East Coast tour. Death Cult Blues EP (releasing in September) continues to build upon their previous material while also showcasing how the band never stops evolving, differing wildly in dynamics and sound. The titular first single “Death Cult Blues” is a blistering 2 minute jaunt that gives you no time to breathe as you’re hit in the face with a cacophony of angular guitars, manic vocals and high velocity drums.
Commenting on their new single, frontman Christian J. Hidell states, “Where there’s chaos, humans have a natural tendency to try to find order. It’s what we do with our pattern-detecting lizard brains. Death Cult Blues takes the logic of post-WWII stay-behind operations in Europe and traces it over with good old fashioned Bush-era American paranoia. Equally inspired by the Brabant killings in Belgium during the 1980s and the DC sniper attacks in 2002, the song seeks to penetrate through the chaos of widespread panic and slash or violence and ask, is there some kind of order to this? Is there an overarching narrative being played out, orchestrated by an unseen hand? The answer is, as always, who knows? But it’s fun to think about.”
see BAD OPTICS live:
04/18 Bellingham, WA @ Aim N’ Game w/ Zookraught + Done to Death + Disaster Queen
04/25 Seattle, WA @ Baba Yaga w/ Dead Bars + M.O.S.S + Benzo
04/30 Chicago, IL @ Burlington w/ Dyslexicon
05/01 Indianapolis, IN @ Healer w/ Grimey + Bingo Boys
05/02 Pittsburgh, PA @ 222 Ormsby w/ Aloner
05/03 Buffalo, NY @ Area 54 w/ Alchemy + Selfish Act
05/04 Toronto, CA @ Horseshoe Tavern w/ Baby’s First Pistol + Big Evil + Laser Mountain
05/06 Ithaca, NY @ Angry Mom Records w/ Thickets + Ready Whenever
05/07 Medford, MA @ Deep Cuts Deli w/ Thought Partner + Fat Randy
05/08 NYC, NY @ Mudhouse w/ Ok Cuddle, Nihiloceros + Consumables
05/10 Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
05/11 Washington DC @ Simple Underground w/ Lud Ros + An Invitation
05/12 Baltimore, MD @ Le Mondo w/ Tidal Shifts + Ploy Machine
05/14 Cleveland, OH @ CODA w/ Bender + Wage Cage
05/15 Columbus, OH @ Spacebar w/ Coffin Makers + Abertooth Lincoln
05/16 Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits w/ Vampire Cowgirl + Paradise Day
07/19 Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club w/ Rambush
BAD OPTICS are:
Christian J. Hidell (he/him) – lead vox, guitar
Alex Warton (she/her) – guitar, backing vox
Joshua Ihler (he/him) – drums, backing vox
Linden Crumrine (he/him) – bass
BAD OPTICS is an art-punk band based in Seattle, WA. Born in 2018, the band has released three EPs and two full length albums. They’ve performed in festivals such as Treefort Music Fest and Fisherman’s Village Music Festival, embarked on multiple West coast tours and were featured on the television program Band In Seattle early in their career. In 2026, they look forward to doing their first East Coast tour in Spring in support of their forthcoming EP Death Cult Blues (releasing in September).
Known for high energy performances with angular and interlocking guitar melodies and manic vocals, Bad Optics sound is supported by a heavy and off-kilter rhythm section that pushes and pulls in unusual time signatures. Lyrical subjects are often a mixture of social and political commentary. Since their genesis however, they have continued to evolve into an ever changing entity that showcases each member’s unique and broad range of influences, making them a hard band to pigeonhole into one specific genre.
visit BAD OPTICS online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bad.optics/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badopticsband
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@badopticsband
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Badoptics
Bandcamp: https://badoptics.bandcamp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bad.optics
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/badoptics
Tidal: https://tidal.com/artist/9698653/u
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bad-optics/1365827278
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2FS1GIub1pwGC04rhTZe9R
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