Toronto, ON-based rock fusion group, Bad Breed has unveiled their latest emotional single, “Not in My Life”.
The vulnerable song serves as the third single from the band’s long-awaited sophomore album Ferocious Love (2020) — often referred to as “The Bad Breed in Ferocious Love.”
The five-minute soul-rock track was released alongside a black and white homemade music video featuring an assortment of people close to the band lip-syncing along. The tune is jam-packed with an allotment of tasty blues riffs — reminiscent of those from The Jimi Hendrix Experience — and backed by some of the finest, tightest drum and bass work in the modern rock era.
To top it all off is the powerful and soulful voice of lead vocalist Katherine Wilson, which calls back to the talent of R&B singers like Otis Redding and the legendary Aretha Franklin.
The topic of the song which closes their most recent effort? According to the band, it confronts the adversity we all face in life and forges ahead declaring “no more pain!”
Musical mastermind and frontman Mike Gribben said:
“This was one of the first songs we wrote for the record and it became evident that it should close the whole album because of how powerful it felt to us. Everybody stepped up vocally and it felt like our anthem by the time we finished it.”
Ferocious Love was born after several tragedies faced by Mike in the last year and serves as the five-piece’s most personal, emotional, and visceral release to date. The record begins with the death of the male singer’s best friend and partner of many years and, from there, follows his extended mental journey of grief, depression, and eventual acceptance.
By the end of this emotional journey, Mike seems ready to experience the feelings of love and joy in his life once again.
Check out the video for “Not in My Life” below, and find out more about the group via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I am Maylin Ortega Zulueta, Bad Breed’s bass player and vocalist. I was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Canada in the summer of 2002. Besides playing with Bad Breed, I am a high school music and Spanish teacher for TDSB, a Spanish course instructor at the University of Western Ontario, a Ph.D. candidate at the same institution, an emergent fiction writer, and the proud mother of a talented young boy!!
Bad Breed is a Toronto-based rock and soul band. We mix different genres which reflect our diverse musical and personal backgrounds. As a result, I believe our sound is truly eclectic. All of our work is original. Mike, our lead singer, is also the lyricist, and the music is arranged collaboratively among the band members. So far, we have two albums under our belt: The Violent World of Bad Breed and The Bad Breed in Ferocious Love. Just by looking at these distinctive titles, you can probably tell that we have gone through an intense process of growth and transformation in the band!
Tell us about the recording process behind “Not in My Life”?
We had tons of rehearsals to sound very tight not only for this song but for the whole Ferocious Love album. However, this song is very special to us. That’s why it is not only the last song on the album but we also close with it when we play live shows. We all want to leave the audience thinking about those things they don’t want in their lives anymore. A very powerful reflection. We demand a lot of ourselves in our pursuit of translating our emotions and life experiences into music and we want to be able to touch our audience with every note.
We were also very lucky to have Michael “Mez” Dilauro as our sound engineer. He understood our message and connected with our vibe very smoothly. We were able to unleash our souls during the recording process. I believe that’s why it’s our most popular song, so far, from the album.
What was the highlight of 2020?
Bad Breed’s resilience through COVID-19. The pandemic might have slowed our live performances down, but it hasn’t been able to stop us. We have worked very hard to increase our digital presence and that has led us to a very powerful path, learning how to make Bad Breed grow stronger. We have learned to increase our followers and we have squeezed so much out of ourselves creatively.
We made the video for Not in My Life by ourselves with the help of our family members and friends. While we keep our distance in the physical world we have learned how to get closer to the global community of fans through social media. That turned out to be the most positive part of 2020 for Bad Breed.
What do you hope to accomplish in your career in 2021?
I hope to attract enough attention from the fans and media so that it will translate into crowded Bad Breed live shows when the entertainment venues re-open.
Is there anyone out there you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Rather than limiting ourselves to mention one or a few, I prefer to send this message: Bad Breed is open to collaborating with anyone who loves our music, values our efforts, and respects our spirit of collaboration.