If the ‘effortlessly cool’ aesthetic can be transcribed into a song, into a feeling, BAD CHILD has succeeded in doing that with Behave. 

From the Spanish trills at the opening to the haunting mob repetition at the end, Behave never feels overdone. The electric guitar riffs are slick and the beat pulsates to a rhythm that is perfect for the hip swaying BAD CHILD’s voice and his unmistakable, soulful energy. In a song that is about breaking free from the mundane, everyday life, the chorus drives home how difficult it is to shake the monotony and expectations. It is produced in such an infectious way that conveys the oppression felt in the line “ooo boy, you better behave.” The video, filmed before the global pandemic, worked to capture those same dynamics. The crushing societal expectations hidden behind the chorus line are represented in various ways, including BAD CHILD being charged at by a mob of people and later the mob dressing like clones singing the same line repetitively. It is a perfect representation of Behave.

Reflecting on the track and the idea behind creating the visual, BAD CHILD explains:

“Behave” at its core is about discipline and wanting to break out of the shackles of a desperate life. The visual is a play on the oppressive nature of the chorus. Rene Gibson (The Director) and I wanted to create something cold and bleak, very Orwellian or something the Wachowski’s would admire. We did a fan casting and it was an incredible response we had people drive from all over. Some made more than 20-hour drives from places in the states to be in our production. That’s the kind of thing you can’t make up, it really makes it worth it to feel that love from the fan base.