Michael Younker puts a one-sided relationship on blast with sardonically self-aware "Bad News"
A talented production designer by trade, Michael Younker takes a similar approach to the composition of his debut solo single “Bad News,” curating a smorgasbord of underground influences ranging from the raucous rebelliousness of NYC troublemakers Ramones and Dead Boys to the nascent alternative stylings of cowpunk pioneers The Dead Milkmen, spiked with an element of dangerous unpredictability that sets the entire track spinning with whiplash force. Just when you think “Bad News” is going to play it safe and stick to a familiar formula Younker makes a hard turn down a back alleyway, barreling forward with white-knuckle abandon taking out any obstacle with an almost cartoonish level of gleeful recklessness.
Younker’s snotty, sardonic delivery unleashes lyrical barbs that bristle electric from within a maelstrom of confrontational guitars and nervous rhythms. There’s an undeniable immediacy to the track’s targeted urgency that fully immerses itself in the manic unsteadiness of an ambiguously defined, ultimately one-sided relationship. But rather than wallow in doubt and misery, “Bad News” is hysterically self-aware, perhaps even taking perverse pleasure from the emotional remoteness or outright disdain projected from the object of his affections.
Sweet Things is out July 12. Stream “Bad News” on Spotify and follow Michael Younker on Instagram.