Josh Katz & Alex Espiritu of Badflower Discuss the Band’s Success

Badflower frontman Josh Katz and bassist Alex Espiritu recently joined Loudwire Nights to discuss the band’s latest single, “Detroit.” Katz revealed that the song is autobiographical, focusing on the band’s feelings of disappointment and frustration despite their success.

“It’s weird,” Katz remarked. “We’ve reached a certain level of success—it’s our career, it’s our job, it pays our bills. But it’s not what we imagined.”

Katz compared their current reality to what he and his bandmates envisioned when they dreamed of becoming rock stars. “Growing up, we watched MTV, bands like Blink-182 and Green Day. That lifestyle looked so appealing to me,” he shared. “What doesn’t look appealing is lip-syncing to TikTok trends, which is what a rock star is supposed to do now?”

He acknowledged that his complaints might come off as entitled. “It does sound entitled,” Katz admitted. “Some people might say, ‘Oh, it must be nice having hit songs.’ And they’re right. We got really lucky, but we also worked extremely hard. It’s a lottery win to live the life we lead. But that doesn’t make it any less difficult.”

Espiritu, though quieter during the interview, agreed with much of what Katz said but maintained a positive outlook. “I enjoy what we do,” he said. “I don’t mind getting older. As long as I keep doing cool things, I think it’s great. I reminisce a lot, and I still listen to the same bands I’ve loved for the past 20 years.”

Katz and Espiritu revealed that these feelings are a common topic among the band members. “We all feel it,” Katz noted. “I’m just the one writing the lyrics and thinking about it constantly, but it’s something we all discuss. We even talk to other bands about it… It’s a common feeling.”

During their conversation on Loudwire Nights, they also touched on several other topics. They mentioned why fans shouldn’t dig too deeply into the meaning behind their recent release, “Teacher Has a Gun,” spoke about what the band still hopes to achieve despite their current success, and identified a band that serves as a model for what Badflower hopes to accomplish in the coming decades.

For those interested in hearing more from Katz and Espiritu, they joined Loudwire Nights on Friday, July 26. The show replays online, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7 PM ET on the Loudwire app or check local radio stations for availability.