Bad Moves

Grafting power pop melodies onto the speedy and minimal frameworks of punk rock, Bad Moves deliver rock & roll that's both fun and thoughtful. Their songs are energetic and propulsive, while their lyrics deal with personal and social issues that add to their power. The group's clean harmonies and upbeat, straightforward rock & roll were well-served on their debut album, 2018's Tell No One, while 2020's Untenable added a dash of melodic sophistication and instrumental confidence. Bad Moves were formed in 2015 by guitarists David Combs and Katie Park, bassist Emma Cleveland, and drummer Daoud Tyler-Ameen; all four members sing and write songs. The musicians were familiar figures on the Washington, D.C. punk scene: Combs had previously worked with Spoonboy, Somnia, and the Max Levine Ensemble, Park was a member of Hemlines, and Tyler-Ameen had been in Art Sorority for Girls. Combs and Park also had experience guiding young prospective rockers; he was a volunteer at Olympia, Washington's Queer Rock Camp, and she was a band coach with Girls Rock! D.C. Not long after they formed, the group recorded a self-titled four-song EP that was released in 2016 by the New York-based indie punk label Don Giovanni Records. Touring in North America and the United Kingdom followed, and in 2018 Don Giovanni released their first full album, Tell No One. Bad Moves got an unexpected career boost that year when they appeared on the animated TV series Craig of the Creek; they voiced themselves as a band who were kicked out of their practice space before mentoring the leading characters as they started a band of their own. (The animated version of Bad Moves also got to perform "The Verge" from their 2016 EP.) In 2020, Bad Moves were back with their second LP, Untenable, which found them bringing a bit more polish to their arrangements. ~ Mark Deming