Badflower, Don’t Hate Me | Track Review 🎵

L.A. alt-rock band Badflower don’t miss a beat on “Don’t Hate Me,” the second single from sophomore LP, This is How the World Ends.

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”L” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”][/otw_shortcode_dropcap]os Angeles rock band 🎙 Badflower return in 2021 with their sophomore album, 💿 This is How the World Ends (September 24, 2021).  The band made a compelling argument for attaining a bigger following with their epic promo single, 🎵 “Family”. They keep a good thing going on 🎵 “Don’t Hate Me”, the second single from This is How the World Ends.

“Don’t Hate Me,” which was produced by 🎛 Scott Borchetta, front man 🎙 🎛 Josh Katz, and 🎛 John Varvatos, runs 4:11. On this mid-tempo rock record, Katz sings about his insecurity, which begins on the intro and eventual chorus:

“Don’t hate me, don’t hate me
Don’t hate me more than I hate myself
Don’t let me destroy me
Don’t hurt me more than I hurt myself...”

On the first verse, Katz, upset about losing his ex, admits “I lost my mind today / I checked up on the guys you date.” Stalker! On the second verse, more of the mental health aspect enters the picture: “Am I more than just a friend? It’s not grandeur, I’m off my meds / I’m no danger, so call the feds / I’m no stalker / I just ignore restraining orders all the time.” Hmm, one wonders about the ‘no danger’ part. On an interlude, he even ponders patterning his band after her boyfriends’ band – yikes! On the bridge, Katz continues the downward spiral, asserting, “Depression makes no exceptions, except the rich and sexy / My delusion is better than facing the truth about me.”

Final Thoughts 💭

The mental health aspects of “Don’t Hate Me” are disturbing.  That said, as a song, “Don’t Hate Me” is incredibly entertaining.  While “Family” is a hard act to follow, this is another well-rounded offering from Badflower.  “Don’t Hate Me” marks another positive sign for This is How the World Ends.

🎙 Badflower • 💿 This is How the World Ends • 🏷 Big Machine / John Varvatos • 🗓 9.24.21 

[📷: Big Machine, Brent Faulkner, John Varvatos, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]