A dream of many musicians is to create art that resonates with and builds an audience that reaches beyond their bedroom walls. In Kind Villain's latest single, “Bedroom Genius,” they don’t shy away from that dream. Continuing to play into the pop-rock sound their previous songs have embraced, this track encapsulates the ambition and desperation for their music to matter to the world.
The track opens with an isolated and distorted guitar riff that quickly adds bass and frontman Ev Frederick’s vocals. It was from this moment that I hoped “Bedroom Genius” would bring variety to its production and musical direction. Thankfully, the song lived up to that, with the verses, pre-choruses, choruses, bridge, and instrumental break all having unique elements from each other. From fun guitar licks and running synths to choral, screaming, and dissonant vocals to half-time percussion, Kind Villain combines energetic and vulnerable sounds to make a track that intrigues you without straying from their pop-rock roots.
The heart of the song, though, lives in its lyrics. Kind Villain utilizes the desire to be “more than a bedroom genius” in an age of bedroom musicians, a term often applied to DIY home studio music making and recording, to drive “Bedroom Genius” forward. The constant repetition of “You’re all going to know my name” contrasts lines like “No applause in the lab tonight” and “All you want to see is a laptop reject.” This allows for the loud and proud confidence found in the song’s chorus to not feel arrogant and for the dream to feel relatable to creatives who want to ‘make it.'
With lyrics such as “I’m the best kept secret” and “Going to rule the world, but the world don’t see it,” it feels like someone who strongly believes in their work and the future they envision for it all. This is only emphasized by the scream-singing technique that Frederick uses throughout the song, screaming lines that are directly related to the longing for and manifestation of larger success.
"Bedroom Genius" is ultimately an anthem for anyone chasing something bigger than their current reality. The track understands the struggle creatives mentally face when putting their art out into the world. If this song is Kind Villain's way of manifesting that ‘we’re all going to know their name,’ then they're certainly hitting the ground running.
