Bad Suns third album, Mystic Truth, gets its name from an art installation that frontman, Christo Bowman, stumbled across while visiting Tate Modern in London.

The piece, made by Bruce Nauman in 1967, reads "The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths." Taking this sentiment as an articulation of the band's calling, Bad Suns' latest collection of distinctive California rock was soon born.

Mystic Truth shows a new, more focused version of the band, with softer sonic tendencies and less of the driving guitars that previously characterized their sound. It's more atmospheric and lyrical, featuring some of the strongest songwriting the group has offered yet. But fans who loved Bad Suns' previous albums for their electric energy will still find plenty of hooks to scream to when their car's windows are down.

Popdust caught up with Christo Bowman in anticipation of the new release to talk about the album, the band's 10-year evolution, and where a California rock band fits in a changing musical landscape.

So tell me about making the new album.

Well, first of all, it feels so good to finally have the album on the cusp of release. Thinking back on it now, creating this album was a massive step for us in the sense that we're really proud of these songs and what they show about the band's growth. In between tours for our last record, we kind of began writing some songs while we were still touring the last record. As soon as we wrapped this tour we booked some time off in Mexico and Albuquerque and started working on material and came up with a couple of ideas the record kind of grew out of. And from there it felt like we had an idea of the direction we were trying to move in. Coming up with an album is kind of like solving a mystery, you know what you want to achieve but you can't imagine it before it exists.

Was the writing process collaborative?

Yeah, it varies song to song but its a team effort. I'm always working on ideas at home that I turn into demos that I bring to the band and we all kind of add our own elements to it, which I think is part of what makes a Bad Suns song special. They're born out of how well we know each other musically and personally. We lived together during this time so we set aside time at home and time to get away from distractions and travel, we spent a lot of time out in the desert in Joshua Tree and in upstate New York, all these different places. The record for me is kind of a combination of all these different things and experiences. The lyrics are from all over. For some reason, I've found I have the easiest time writing lyrics when I'm in transit.

So is there a specific message you guys are trying to get across to your fans with this record?

That's a good question. There are different messages spread throughout the record. But [it's] definitely experiential in that it's meant to feel like a person moving through time, day to day, going through these different experiences that form a person. It's never so black and white as, "this is specifically what we're trying to get at," but there are definitely themes I think listeners will pick up on. There are moments that are a bit sarcastic and dry and other moments that aren't tongue-in-cheek at all. It's meant to be reflective.

How long have you guys been playing together?

We've been playing together a really long time. Miles, Gavin and I have been in a band together for the last 10 years. And then with Ray, we've been together for seven years. We've been Bad Suns all that time. It really helps that it's not all brand new to us but at the same time, with our third album out, there's all this new stuff happening, so it feels as fresh as always. We're fortunate to be in this position to get to do what we love to do with people we trust. I mean, we've been friends since school.

In the office recently we've been talking about how the music industry is really changing right now and EDM is making its way into everything, which obviously has a huge effect on live music. And yet here you guys are playing live rock music with a full band. How do you see yourselves fitting into that changing music landscape?

I'm not really sure. I have nothing against that kind of music. It just so happens that the music we make is the kind of stuff we feel most passionate about. It's just the most authentic form of music for us to write and release. I think that's something that's really sensitive, finding what your musical voice is as a band, regardless of your field. So in that sense, it's like it just so happens our music sounds the way that it does, and I'm happy people can see it that way and appreciate that we play our instruments and everything.

You do have such a distinctive sound, were there any specific influences you guys incorporated when you were establishing that sound?

We always just aimed to be as authentic as possible while at the same time referencing bands that we all loved to use as a point of communication and understanding. For example, we always wanted to have the kind of minimal sensibilities of a band like The Strokes where there's not too much noise happening; we want every note to count. But at the same time, we were inspired by the grandiosity and power of 80's bands like The Cure, The Police, or even bands like U2.

So what's coming up for you guys?

We leave for tour on the third; we're doing a full US tour that starts in San Diego and goes all the way around the country and wraps up in LA. We're stopping in a lot of cities that we haven't been able to play before. So we're gearing up for that right now and just planning and plotting away.

I know people describe you as a California band. You have that West Coast sound. On a cross-country tour like this do you find that you get a similar reception in all places or does it differ?

I guess I don't think about that much. I rarely think about where we come from when we're performing, we're fortunate in that all our shows seem to have good energy. People always seem to be happy to be there and escape for a minute and sing along. Maybe I'm just blind to our California vibe since it's just so innate.

Do you think your music affects you guys as people?

I think the only way to make good music is to foster a real and vital connection between the music and us as musicians. We aren't going to release it otherwise. That's one thing, but then also there's watching the song go out into the world and see people come back with how it affected them or played a role in their lives. That gives the songs a new life too. It's pretty surreal. I think music is about communication and finding other voices that speak to what you're going through or experiencing.

So are you guys a band that really loves touring and always want to be on tour, or do you find it exhausting?

That's a good question because it is exhausting, but at the same time, it's something we look forward to constantly. That being said, it's been great being at home and traveling at our own pace while writing songs for this album. At that time we had just come off a really amazing tour and we had been touring for a couple of years, so we were satisfied with it. But at this point, it feels great to go out, and perform and we're totally in the groove of it now.

Mystic Truth

Visit the band's website to get tickets for Bad Suns' 2019 US tour!

Brooke Ivey Johnson is a Brooklyn based writer, playwright, and human woman. To read more of her work visit her blog or follow her twitter @BrookeIJohnson.

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