All Shows

Sep/13 · Sextile
Sep/15 · Arc De Soleil: La Mirage Tour
Sep/16 · *CANCELED* DYSTINCT’S BABABA WORLD TOUR
Sep/17 · Beach Fossils
Sep/18 · Chaparelle
Sep/19 · INIKO – Awakening The Empire North American Tour
Sep/20 · Arcy Drive: The Pit Tour
Sep/21 · SE SO NEON – NOW North American Tour 2025 
Sep/22 · Samia
Sep/23 · Skinshape
Sep/24 · The Bones of J.R. Jones
Sep/25 · High Vis
Sep/26 · Cameron Whitcomb – I’ve Got Options Tour
Sep/27 · Spacey Jane – If That Makes Sense Tour
Sep/28 · Redferrin
Sep/30 · BETWEEN FRIENDS – WOW! TOUR
Oct/1 · Night Tapes – portals//polarities Tour
Oct/3 · múm
Oct/5 · DUCKWRTH – All American Freak Show Tour
Oct/6 · MIRADOR
Oct/7 · Bayker Blankenship
Oct/9 · Covet
Oct/10 · BAD SUNS: ACCELERATOUR 2025
Oct/11 · French Police
Oct/12 · Balu Brigada
Oct/13 · Ty Segall
Oct/15 · DURRY – Your Friend From The Real World Tour
Oct/17 · Jeremy Zucker – Welcome to the Garden State Tour
Oct/18 · Earthless
Oct/19 · Frankie Cosmos
Oct/25 · *CANCELED* Kneecap
Oct/26 · Geese – The Getting Killed Tour
Oct/27 · 6ARELYHUMAN
Oct/29 · Night Moves
Nov/1 · EDEN – Dark Tour
Nov/2 · The New Mastersounds – Ta-Ta For Now Tour
Nov/5 · Blondshell
Nov/7 · Margo Price – Wild At Heart Tour
Nov/8 · Marlon Funaki
Nov/9 · Midnight Til Morning
Nov/10 · Peter McPoland: Big Lucky Tour
Nov/11 · Cut Copy
Nov/12 · SOFIA ISELLA
Nov/13 · Lily Rose – I Know What I Want Tour 2025
Nov/15 · hannah bahng: The Misunderstood World Tour
Nov/18 · Lucius
Nov/21 · The Brothers Comatose
Nov/22 · Leith Ross
Nov/28 · CUMBIATRON
Nov/29 · J-Fell and Nite Wave Present: The Cure, Depeche Mode & New Order Tribute Night
Dec/4 · Violent Vira
Dec/6 · Foxwarren
Dec/10 · Electric Guest
Dec/13 · Earlybirds Club
Jan/31 · Ruston Kelly – Pale, Through the Window Tour
Feb/2 · Don Broco
Feb/12 · shame
Mar/4 · Monolink
Apr/28 · Patrick Watson – Uh Oh Tour

All Shows

Upcoming Events

Monqui Presents

with special guest Nuovo Testamento

Saturday, September 13
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $57.94

About Sextile:

Some bands find their groove and stick to it while others choose to reinvent themselves and keep on moving. Sextile can attest to the thrill of an ever-changing road map. The LA duo comprising Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn ply their trade with a lust for life and a love of everything from no wave to hardstyle, having merged some of these influences on their striking 2023 debut for Sacred Bones, Push.

The group’s new LP, yes, please., fuses anarchic electro fire with raw personal recollections —and enough beefed-up bass to bust a speaker or two. yes, please. is an album of contrasts: a vulnerable record that bares its soul as much as it revels in excess, showing just how far you can push your sound when you shake off your inhibitions. Together, the pair betray a confidence that never wavers, making a bold splash on the speedy intro with a rave siren cut from a ‘00s New York house party. Seemingly by the same token, the unruly spirit of electroclash stalks the yes, please. building, flashing its ID on the cowbell-peppered thunderbolts of “Freak Eyes” and “Rearrange”, and turning in a scuzzy dancefloor bomb with “Women Respond to Bass.” High on endorphins, “Push-ups”—which features vocals from Jehnny Beth—is pure muscle music, fortified by hoover bass and fleshed out by synths that hammer as hard as lumps of hail on a glass roof.

Scaduto, who grew up in New York, and the Virginia-raised Keehn originally met in NYC before relocating to LA and forming Sextile. In 2015, they were joined by guitarist and synth player Eddie Wuebben, embracing “occult-inspired” post-punk for their debut album A Thousand Hands (2015), amping up the synths for 2017 follow-up Albeit Living, and leaning into this further for 2018’s electronically minded EP 3. Sextile went on hiatus following a difficult period marked by the tragic passing of Wuebben in October 2019. They later re-emerged with former bassist Cameron Michel on guitar and synths and released the “Modern Weekend” / “Contortion” single in 2022.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with special guest Nuovo Testamento

Saturday, September 13
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $57.94

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Monday, September 15
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $65.15

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

Tuesday, September 16
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guests Launder and girlpuppy

Wednesday, September 17
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Jeffrey Silverstein

Thursday, September 18
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $29.10

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guests Bryan Breeding and Evolution Of The Revolution

Friday, September 19
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $61.03

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with special guest Foxtide

Saturday, September 20
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $111

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With Special Guest SASAMI

Sunday, September 21
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $73.90

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with special guest Renny Conti

Monday, September 22
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $88.43

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with Sons of Sevilla

Tuesday, September 23
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
$29.25 to $34.25

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Byland

Wednesday, September 24
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $35.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with No Warning, Gag, Cold Gawd

Thursday, September 25
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With Danielle Finn

Friday, September 26
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$36.05 to $161.78

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Saturday, September 27
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $143.69

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Shaylen

Sunday, September 28
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $397.84

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Showbox Presents
Tuesday, September 30
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$37.08 to $161.71

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Cult of Venus

Wednesday, October 1
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest GYDA

Friday, October 3
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $69.27

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest DE'WAYNE

Sunday, October 5
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $147.86

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Monday, October 6
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $35.28

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Tuesday, October 7
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $53.56

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with LITE & Wylie Hopkins

Thursday, October 9
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $57.94

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with Joe P

Friday, October 10
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $57.94

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Saturday, October 11
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $57.94

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Tommy Newport

Sunday, October 12
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$30.02 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Monday, October 13
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $44.55

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Gully Boys

Wednesday, October 15
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $114.38

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Friday, October 17
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $301.13

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with Minami Deutsch

Saturday, October 18
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
ages 21 +
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Sunday, October 19
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $56.14

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Bricknxsty

Saturday, October 25
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Sunday, October 26
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$40.43 to $121.44

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Showbox Presents

With special guest Dev

Monday, October 27
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$37.08 to $168.32

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Sam Blasucci

Wednesday, October 29
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $28.84

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Showbox Presents

with special guests greek & DJ Krewes

Saturday, November 1
Doors : 7pm, Show : 7pm
all ages
$45.58 to $230.60

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

Sunday, November 2
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $62.57

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Wednesday, November 5
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$29.10

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with special guest Dillon Warnek

Friday, November 7
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $171.08

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Saturday, November 8
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $28.84

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Showbox Presents
Sunday, November 9
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$0 to $192.42

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Monday, November 10
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $142.93

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with Ora The Molecule

Tuesday, November 11
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $63.60

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Wednesday, November 12
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $58.97

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Showbox Presents
Thursday, November 13
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$37.08

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

Saturday, November 15
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$46.35 to $200.28

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With Attention Bird Utopia

Tuesday, November 18
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$52.53 to $150.12

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

with Goodnight, Texas

Friday, November 21
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $62.57

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Saturday, November 22
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Friday, November 28
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$28.84

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
J-Fell and Nite Wave Present
Saturday, November 29
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$35.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Thursday, December 4
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $165.60

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest Hannah Frances

Saturday, December 6
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $63.60

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

Wednesday, December 10
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Saturday, December 13
Show : 6pm
ages 21 +
$40.43

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents

With special guest verygently

Saturday, January 31
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $183.75

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Monday, February 2
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Thursday, February 12
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages
$14.16 to $52.02

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Wednesday, March 4
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
ages 21 +

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
Monqui Presents
Tuesday, April 28
Doors : 7pm, Show : 8pm
all ages

About Bad Suns:

Bad Suns are embracing everything that’s possible. On their joyous fifth album, fittingly titled Accelerator, the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose.Together since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started playing together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that recalibrated Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

“We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “Accelerator being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn’t want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

In planning their elevation, Bad Suns reconnected with their go-to producer Eric Palmquist (Tate McRae, Half Alive), who also helmed their 2014 debut Language & Perspective, plus follow-ups Disappear Here (2016) and Apocalypse Whenever (2022). Going into recording Accelerator, Eric encouraged Bad Suns to channel their sense of renewal into an energetic sonic direction they’d tapped into before, but never quite to this extent. “One of the first times we sat down with Eric, we were talking about what we’d all been vibing with. He said point blank, ‘It would be really cool to mess around with some ‘90s house-inspired music. Right away, the light bulb went off for me. I’d wanted to push in that direction forever.”

While tracks like the previously released “Communicating,” anthemic opener “Slow Karma,” the pulsing “Why Am I Like This,” and the shimmering club cut “Just Like Magic” reveal a riveting pop turn for the band, Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

“My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that’s been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life, kind of reckoning with the fact that you can’t control the external circumstances. I can’t control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

The hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” acts as Christo’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes the decision to become sober. “I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it becomes the easiest thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don’t know exactly what’s ahead, but I know this is the direction I’m supposed to be moving down.”

The sparkling “Mystery Girl” signifies another crossroads as Christo, in a diaristic stream of consciousness, remembers his coming-of-age years while facing the inertia of fatherhood. “There’s this beautiful new chapter in my life unfolding, and there’s mixed emotions that come with it,” he says. “This is a song about my teenage years, past relationships and experiences, and being a young person who is ultimately just looking for love.”

Christo is equally unafraid to imagine what would have happened had he not made a series of positive changes. On the urgent, electropop banger “Back To Zero,” the singer envisions an alternate reality without Bad Suns or his wife and partner of 13 years and arrives at a place of heart-bursting gratitude for everything he has and the future that lies ahead.

“I didn’t want this record to be too self-help-oriented, but I did want every song, one way or another, to relate some wisdom I’ve gained,” Christo says. “By imagining myself alone in an apartment, my wife long gone — my life very easily could have looked like that. I’ve learned how important it is, as the lyrics say, to ‘find the beauty in what’s painful,’ and love every moment for what it is.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid. Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I’m going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”