Now that “Bad Habit” is gaining popularity, I thought it was the best time to write about it. It was released early this month and has already racked up 64 million streams.
It’s no lie Steve Lacy is one of the most talented artists of this generation. He has already worked with a handful of well-known musicians in collaborations and songwriting such as Kali Uchis and Kendrick Lamar.
To me, this song feels like waking up on a Sunday morning and going to the farmer’s market. The song has lightness with Steve’s vocals and guitar while keeping it upbeat and vibe-y at the same time.
The premise of the song is simple, having a bad habit of biting your tongue and holding in your thoughts.
Like Steve sings in earlier verses “I bite my tongue, it’s a bad habit | Kinda mad that I didn’t take a stab at it | Thought you were too good for me, my dear | Never gave me time of day, my dear | It’s okay, things happen for | Reasons that I think are sure, yeah”
It’s a track about not saying what’s on your mind and regretting it. A situation many of us go through constantly. The relatability of this song along with the catchy melody seals the deal for me. Love an old-fashioned right place, wrong time situation.
It’s the perfect song to listen to without needing to put your full attention into it. A song that’s easy to jam out to.
The chord progression of the chorus as Steve sings “I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me” over and over again gives the song a mellow vibe. The first verse starts off with this verse and lets the song slip into your mind.
I find Steve’s falsetto to create an unexpected edge to the song as well. It happens towards the middle of the song when he sings “Say to me (please just say to me) | If this could wind up | I wish you wouldn’t play with me | I wanna know (oh no)” Right before getting back into the melody that we’ve been introduced to.
After listening to this song I realized I’ve heard a lot of Steve Lacy’s music unknowingly. His sophomore album “Gemini Rights” was released in mid-July and it features a variety of different genres including jazz, rock, hip hop, and R&B. There’s something in it for everyone no matter what genre you prefer.
If you haven’t already, make sure to listen to “Bad Habit”. It’ll make your day a hundred times better!
Check out the music video for “Bad Habit”:
