Mal Blum is back. The indie rock singer-songwriter has announced their new album The Villain, their first LP since 2019's Pity Boy. Before it's out in July, they've shared its lead single "I'm So Bored" today.
The title of The Villain refers to a wide array of evil-doers, whether Blum is using the word to describe themself, people who've done them wrong in their personal life, or certain administrations adamant on demonizing the transgender community. Blum clarifies that the album is about more than their trans-masculine identity, but the songs are all written from that unique perspective, and it also marks Blum's first album where they were able to dedicate the songs to their new lower register. They explain further in a press release:
Around this time I was having to confront my own associations with masculinity and, separately, with self perception versus how others were perceiving me. I’m someone who is already prone to believe that I’m bad and I think part of the album is about looking for evidence of that... but I also think a large part is about committing to allowing yourself to be misunderstood. The act of giving up control and playing the villain in someone else’s story. I wanted to embrace and play with something that terrifies me in real life.
Of today's new song, Blum adds:
On one hand, "I’m So Bored" is about a very specific moment of disillusionment in a power-imbalanced relationship, when you realize someone’s bad behavior is actually so predictable that it’s almost trite. The other layer is clearly about myself -- mired in familiar patterns, tired of my own bullshit, making cyclical mistakes.
"I'm So Bored" comes with a striking "Dirty Dancing-meets-David Lynch" music video directed by Austin Archer, who choreographed it with Kayla Janssen. Watch that and see the full The Villain tracklist below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "A Small Request"
02 "Must Get Lonely"
03 "I'm So Bored"
04 "Killer"
05 "Gabriel"
06 "Truth Is Out There"
07 "Cool Guy"
08 "Gemini V. Cancer"
09 "Too Soon"
10 "The Villain"
The Villain is out 7/11 via Get Better.
