BAD MARY – Better(er) Days EP

A lot can change in ten years. Unlike most DIY punk/alternative bands, though, for Bad Mary, issues with an ever shifting line up hasn’t ever been a factor. Since day one, the unity between vocalist Amanda Mac, her drumming dad Bill, bass playing husband Mike and guitarist David has been unquestionably strong. What has changed in that time, however, is the band’s recording budget and their collective musical skills. The 2024 Bad Mary sound much bigger and much fiercer than their younger selves. With that in mind, they chose not to mark a decades’ worth of work with a career spanning compilation, but to re-record some of the best tunes from their ‘Better Days’ debut disc.

Sometimes, re-recording old work can seem like a cop out. It’s an act that’s often borne from a royalties dispute, or a feeling that an old, ex-band member’s contributions need improving/erasing. Obviously, neither factor applies here. Bad Mary have clearly realised the songs on their debut still convey a superb energy and carry some great punky hooks, but, with the benefit of a bigger budget, and by affording them a bigger sound, the songs could really shine.

…And by and large, the re-recordings on ‘Better(er) Days’ are an improvement at every turn. Signifying its arrival in bigger, punkier boots, the reworked ‘Don’t Know Where The Line Is’ opens with a burst of feedback, before Mike approaches the opening riff in a slicker way. It isn’t slick enough to remove its sense of attitude, but there’s certainly a tighter aspect to his playing when directly compared to the 2013 recording. Moving into the body of the track, a chunkier bass underscores a slightly more metallic guitar, but despite these changes, there’s plenty here that old fans will still love. Amanda’s vocals have a slightly maturer feel, but she still manages to attack the lyric with a force that captures a genuine sneer, bringing out the punkier aspects of the Bad Mary sound. This is great, though perhaps not as great as ‘Better Days’, a track that’s now redressed with a sharper drum sound and a slightly differing bass tone, but otherwise holds firm. Despite the fuller sounding instrumental approach, the DIY swagger of the track can still be felt. It’s with the vocal that this 2024 recording really comes into its own, however. Amanda no longer possesses the strange innocence of yesteryear, but her voice is ten times better, and she reworks the melody with a warble that brings a sultry quality to the performance, occasionally sounding like Save Ferris vocalist Monique Powell. Everything on this EP is good, but this is superb.

Led by punchy drums and a choppy guitar, the music throughout ‘Forget About It’ straddles a fine line between pop punk and punk ‘n’ roll, but really suits Amanda’s voice, which she uses to deliver a sharp, almost spoken performance throughout. The arrangement is a relatively simple one, often reliant on Bill providing a huge rhythmic wallop, but in terms of all round catchiness, it’s a track that knows it’ll hit listeners between the ears with minimum effort. The original cut shared an almost demo like charm, but now the sharper riffs join the sassy vocal to create something that feels both muscular and quirky. It isn’t as strong as ‘Better Days’, but in showing off Bad Mary’s more fun side, it works well enough. The same can be said for ‘Ninja’, a number that relies on an expletive driven hook to attract attention and a few punk ‘n’ roll chops on loan from Johnny Thunders with the main riff straddling punk and garage ethics. It isn’t a track that wants to change the world; instead, its a two minute showcase for a careening vocal and chopping rhythm, which now sounds much fiercer with Mike injecting a slightly more metal-centric guitar tone and delivering a fatter sounding, howling lead guitar. It’ll never be the greatest of Bad Mary’s songs, but in this bigger sounding guise, it sounds better than ever before.

On ‘Losing Control’, Mike’s now overdriven guitar sound takes more of a dominant role but he sounds great when underscoring an energy filled vocal. The bigger production sound brings out some wonderful bass fills from David, and any changes made really benefit the now superior musicians. For those who love Bad Mary’s more alternative side, this number and the rockier ‘Hangover’ – fleshed out with old school hard rock soloing – are both solid listens in that they push the musicians a little harder, and the newer recordings share a really muscular sound. Both play an important part in showcasing Bad Mary’s musical variety, since these are vastly different to the frivolously angry ‘Forget About It’, but both numbers have aged brilliantly, and really benefit from the superior sound this re-recorded set brings.

‘Better(er) Days’ isn’t just a release for the fans who might be keen to play spot the difference, or question whether a huger sound somehow weakens a DIY punk stance; it’s also a great introduction for other listeners, since it shares a few of the band’s strongest songs, now dressed in their best finery. Everything is still suitably punky, but with Amanda showing off a broader set of vocal pipes and Mike adopting a fatter guitar tone throughout, these tracks now sit among Bad Mary’s best works. This is a more than decent addition to an already impressive and fun back catalogue. Whether you’re familiar with the source material or someone who just enjoys good, punchy melodic punk, then this EP is definitely worth the small price of a download.

July 2024