Bad Moves discuss the 'existential nausea', dark humour, and collective songcraft behind their new power-pop album, 'Wearing Out the Refrain'.

Words: Rob Mair.

'Existential nausea' feels like the perfect descriptor for the group's socially aware, anxiety-ridden but also whip-smart, at times achingly funny, pop. Another phrase might be 'uncomfortable truths', as the group go to some pretty dark places and speak truth to power through rhyme and allegory. Their approach is certainly at odds with the notion that pop is something that is easy to consume and lacking in artistic merit.

Indeed, in the case of Bad Moves (completed by drummer/vocalist Daoud Tyler-Ameen, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Katie Park, and bass player/vocalist Emma Cleveland), pop is merely a vehicle for delivery, and by marrying lyrical smarts with knowing musicality, they've delivered the album of their career, which pulls on this notion of repetition and is reflected in the album's title, 'Wearing out the Refrain'.

It's an album about being trapped in cycles and struggling to find a way out – but it's also about hope and community and responsibility.

"We purposely tried to make repetition both a kind of lyrical concept – like feeling trapped in cycles or feeling stuck in purgatorial spaces – but then have that bleed into the form of the songs, whether that's about lyrics repeating or a riff that won't go away for the entire fucking song," says David.

Then there's the lyrical reflections. One song is called 'The Undertow', while 'A Drowning Confession' includes a refrain around 'the undertow' as it drags you down and the futility of fighting against it. Elsewhere, imagery of the Catholic church and Catholicism run riot, as do criticisms of authority and authoritarian regimes and consumer culture. It's ultimately a record crafted – sculpted even – to the point where every note or lyric feels deliberate and nuanced.

This can be seen in the group's astonishingly detailed approach to songwriting, which would make more individualistic artists run for the hills. A collective in the truest sense of the word – they share out vocal duties, meaning they don't have a nominated lead singer – while songwriting is tackled from the perspective of the group, with everyone free to edit and feed in suggestions.