BADSQUATCH Releases Single NAKUPENDA, Sets August-November NE Tour
The Swahili-titled track draws on African percussion and river imagery inspired by the Nile.
BADSQUATCH has released NAKUPENDA, the fourth single from his upcoming fourteen-track double EP, marking a shift toward acoustic instrumentation after three previous singles spanning industrial, dance, and rock styles. The song, whose title means 'I love you' in Swahili, opens with sounds of a babbling brook before moving into acoustic guitar and vocals, and serves as a title track of sorts for the EP's I LUV YOU side. BADSQUATCH has also announced a run of Nebraska tour dates beginning Friday, August 14 at Brokedown Palace in Omaha and continuing through Thursday, November 5 at 1867 in Lincoln, where he will perform alongside With A Vengeance featuring Tommy Vext.
BADSQUATCH offers up the fourth single from his debut album, a fourteen-track double EP that he refers to as a mental health piece. The dark and light contrasts that have been present in the first releases by this new creative are even more present as this song 'Nakupenda' almost seems to come from a completely different world as the previous single.
Following up that last tune about soul-crushing heartbreak wrought with heavy guitars and blistering vocals, the new song 'Nakupenda' does a complete turnaround, opening with sounds of a babbling brook followed by slow and beautifully methodical acoustic chords that lead into BADSQUATCH's soft, yet warm and inviting vocals. The name of the song, the phrase for 'I love you' in Swahili, is confirmed to be a kind of title-track of the I LUV YOU side of the album, but it is also a nod to the African-inspired percussion instrumentation and lyrical themes of flowing with the river toward the ocean, mentioned by the artist to be further inspired by stories of the Nile River.
In this song, these lyrical themes set this single even further apart from the rest of his recent releases, speaking with an air of wisdom that can only come from somebody that has experience with not just pain and suffering, but also the coming to terms with it, the process of 'healing', and moving forward in life. Utilizing metaphors and thought-provoking lines alluding toward a search for peace, the themes of the song directly match the very calm, inviting, and disarming instrumentation delivered.
With this acoustic single, BADSQUATCH has now shown four completely different looks as an artist: first an industrial anthem about self-loathing, followed by an 80's dance/workout song about moving your body, and most recently, a gritty and gut-wrenching song painting a picture of the moment your heart breaks. Now comes an acoustic adventure down a river of gratitude and healing. What BADSQUATCH has next, like the Sasquatch legend, remains a mystery.
Tour Dates
Fri. August 14th @ Brokedown Palace in Omaha, NE
Thurs. August 20th @ Culinary Dropout in Omaha, NE
Sat. August 22nd @ Fisher Cove Lake in Silver Creek, NE
Fri. August 28th @ Hurrdat Sports Bar in Gretna, NE
Sat. August 29th @ The Weekend Lakeside Bar & Grill in Ashland, NE
Thurs. November 5th @ 1867 in Lincoln, NE w/ With A Vengeance (Tommy Vext)
Additional tour stops include Culinary Dropout in Omaha on August 20, Fisher Cove Lake in Silver Creek on August 22, Hurrdat Sports Bar in Gretna on August 28, and The Weekend Lakeside Bar & Grill in Ashland on August 29.
