Stream: KONG, ‘Bad Man’

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KONG

Singer-songwriter Justin Joyce’s new single under his musical moniker KONG chronicles his battles with his demons, and he’s had some. How many? Well, he jokes in the announcement of the new song “Bad Man,” that he omitted many of his transgressions “because, unfortunately, I didn’t feel that 18 verses would be commercially viable.”

With its searing guitar and soulful background vocals, “Bad Man” is roots-rock anthem about redemption. KONG’s first single since 2018, it’s carried by the substantial weight of Joyce’s deeply resonant baritone. Collaborators on the recording included Mike Mangan, Wes Styles, Eli Mitchell, Sharlotte Gibson and McKail Seely, and it’s the first of several releases he plans for this year.

The song’s origins date to 2017, when KONG was “going through a tough time (drinking, drugging and depressed),” he explains. “I was in between homes. Recently off the high of touring and staying in a weed grow house outside of the city. In an off-and-on relationship. In and out of love. I was mad at the world and people I considered friends who I felt weren’t helping me even though they could. I was doing bad things just to ease the pain. And honestly, sometimes it really felt good.

“But I realized that deep down inside I just wanted to be good. A good man. A good friend. A good boyfriend. Employee. Businessman. … But the most important thing that I got from this song and learned in the process is that even though sometimes we do bad things, deep down we’re just trying to be good. I’ve changed my life a lot since I started writing this song in 2017. Been sober for seven months. Cigarette-free. Living in a great house in L.A. I work three jobs in music and make records for my art and TV. I have strong relationships and I get home to see my family in Boston more than ever before. A lot has changed since I realized what it takes to become the good man I desire to be. I hope you get a little something out of this, too.”

||| Stream: “Bad Man”

||| Previously: “Swing Low”