Single Review: THE DRAIN by Bad Omens

Bad Omens

THE DRAIN

Release: April 17, 2024

Article by Laur Wirth

Bad Omens recently confirmed their upcoming new album, CONCRETE JUNGLE [THE OST], which will feature 26 tracks – a mix of brand new songs, live versions of already released ones, and remixes. On April 17th they released the record's second single THE DRAIN.

Photo by Oswaldo Cepeda

V.A.N (feat. Poppy) already gave us a tease on what to expect from the upcoming album, with THE DRAIN further introducing us to the new sound Bad Omens are going for. Working with HEALTH, who has also collaborated with The Neighbourhood and Crystal Castles, and SWARM who is known for his industrial EDM type of music with elements of rock, Bad Omens formed the perfect collaboration for this newest release.

THE DRAIN starts with the same energy that V.A.N left us with, and we immediately get thrown into a somewhat angsty song. The verses are sung by Jake Duzsik of HEALTH, whose voice gives the song a more calm feeling in contrast to the energetic melody. The phrase "Old friends, same (...)" is repeated throughout the verses, making it a very visible pattern.

"Old friends, same disease I'm killing myself again Old friends, same to me I can't get away from it (...) Old friends, same as enemies"

Noah Sebastian of Bad Omens sings the chorus, and hits with what the fans like to call a "siren-like voice".

"I can't be saved Reaching for the life we threw away Watching as it circles in the drain With everything I loved, that's gone to waste With everything I was but couldn't change"

Both Noah and Jake come together in the bridge, with Jake giving a little more depth but also meaning to what the song is about.

"We're bored when we're sober again But miserable when we're not We're bored when we're sober again But what else have we got?"

After singing it once, he repeats his lines with Noah singing the lines of the chorus. They complete the song and elevate it to another level. The last line of the song is Jake's "We're bored when we're sober again, but miserable when we're not", putting emphasis on these lyrics.

With an already eerie feeling to the song, the lyrics and the meaning behind them could be interpreted as a follow up to THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND, after what happened to the CONCRETE JUNGLE. The world might look different, angsty, and people struggle, just like they do in the real world. The melody emphasizes on the struggle and chaos, the nervousness and the harshness of today's society. What makes this theory even more plausible is a little "easter egg". If you listen very carefully you can hear the humming of THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND through the whole song.

After what V.A.N and THE DRAIN gave us, I think we can be really excited for what's to come from Bad Omens.

Follow Bad Omens: