Nothing’s worse than having to let go of people who did you wrong. You know that it’s for the best, cutting them out of your life, but that doesn’t make it any harder once they’ve dug deep into you and have implanted themselves into your daily routine. Aiida’s latest single “Bad Tattoo” tells its listeners about the difficulty of leaving behind those who aren’t good for you, likening them to a bad tattoo. They’re something that’s stuck to your skin, needled into your muscles– your heart– and it’s not so easy to just get rid of something like that. In many ways, they've become a permanent part of your body and sense of self. But, even tattoos can be lasered off, and you, too, can cut out the toxic people in your life without having to sacrifice your identity. As much as "Bad Tattoo" ruminates on how forever-seeming these people are to you, it is also a dedication to those who had the power to be rid of them once and for all.
“Bad Tattoo” strikes that perfect chord between moody and earnest. Moody, in that its instrumentals are deeper and darker than the average pop song. An amazing bassline hugs the song’s spine, slowly pulling listeners into the soundscape. Add the percussion and the vocals, and you’ve got a track that knows exactly what it’s doing with its production and composition. Every part of the soundscape matches the song’s meaning perfectly– it’s a tense atmosphere that these instrumentals create, almost with a touch of desperation. That desperation is entwined with my aforementioned earnestness from the track– when you get a tattoo, you never want it to be considered a “bad” one. Having a bad piece of art on your body is something I would liken to claustrophobia, and that feeling of not being able to be rid of a problem that is directly in your face. Especially the chorus line “It’s never fading / I fucking hate it” echoes this sentiment; the narrator complains how people in their life are always digging deep into their skin and sticking there, exclaiming then that they won’t fade away, and how much they despise it. For better or for worse, important people in our lives will end up becoming part of us– not unlike a tattoo– and those who end up being bad for us, which we ultimately cut off, can nevertheless remain. With expressive instrumentals and lyrics that highlight the struggle of letting go of those you once loved, “Bad Tattoo” empowers people who have overcome their past relationships and spoken out about them while also being aware of the difficulties one must first go through before reaching that healing stage.
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, queer pop artist Aiida makes even heartbreak sound good with her poignant vocals and stellar songwriting. Similar to artists such as Dua Lipa and Mimi Webb, her music style tells stories with electric energy and honest lyrics, bringing her listeners together with good sounds and relatable tracks. She debuted in 2020 with her single “More Than A Minute”. Following that, she released singles every year since then, with her 2021 song “Talk (About What?)” hitting nearly 150,000 streams on Spotify to date, as well as her 2022 song “Landslide” reaching over 140,000 streams on Spotify. “Bad Tattoo” is Aiida’s most recent release, and is a fantastic track to end the summer with. If you enjoyed “Bad Tattoo”, consider following Aiida and listening to her other songs while we await her next projects!
Written By Alexa Leung
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