Since their formation in 2012, one of the hottest post-punk alternative rock bands to hit the stage is Bad Suns.

After they first came to fame in 2014 when their song “Cardiac Arrest” off of their debut EP “Transpose” went viral, they rocketed into the spotlight, hitting just about everybody’s radar in the alternative rock scene.

It was a significantly exciting time for the band as they later went on to release their full length debut album titled “Language & Perspective” the same year and then proceeded to open for the incredibly well known indie-rock band The 1975.

With 2014 sparking the fire that’s fueled their careers for several years now, they have shown no signs of stopping and have been constantly releasing new music every couple of years, with their most recent being their third album “Mystic Truth” in March.

Over time they’ve racked up a massive following and their music alone has been a beacon of light for those that have faced hardship in some shape or form but most importantly, during this week of celebrating “Pride Anthems” they’ve held a special place in the hearts of so many LGBTQ fans.

As a testament to how powerful their music has been to so many people around the world, it is great honor to share the story of one of our friends and fans, Ashton Carr. Below you can read their story about how the Bad Suns has impacted their life.

“As the month of June, aka pride month, falls upon us every year, there’s always a massive discussion (and debate) about representation and allyship in the music industry. One of my favorite examples of both of those things comes from the 2014 single from Bad Suns titled, “Salt.”

The song details frontman Christo Bowman’s journey of acceptance and understanding of a close friend of his as they went through their own journey of gender discovery and expression. In an interview with MTV around the release of the song, Bowman described his desire to universalize the feeling of not having an identity to help bring people together in understanding.

The accompanying music video is a stunning contemporary dance piece that describes the journey of the emotional (and sometimes physical) transition that trans/genderqueer people go through during their lives, performed by Tamara Levinson. The literal representation behind the story is one that I deeply appreciate due to the fact that the story behind the lyrics could be considered as subtext by most. Actually bringing the narrative that I, like so many other genderqueer people, have lived through to light is something that they could have left out to the comfort of those who have not lived it.

Bad Suns has been my favorite band for many years, and having them represent and embrace my experience as a queer person is incredibly uplifting. Even on this past tour they covered their stages in rainbow lights as they played this song to many a sold out room- keeping the representation present. My love for this band, and myself, grows every season. Especially during pride season.”

We greatly appreciate Ashton sharing their powerful story with us and if you have yet to listen to Bad Suns, there is certainly no better time than right now.

If you want to make a submission to be featured on our website in regards to “Pride Anthems”, please email us at: secondsocietyreport@gmail.com