Who Are The Bad Guys

The release · Ken Newman

Behind the song

“Who Are the Bad Guys” came from my frustration with how easily we reduce everything to slogans and sides while ignoring our own participation in the systems we criticize. I didn’t want to write a song about simple villains. The line between innocence and complicity felt much blurrier than that. Musically, it began as just acoustic guitar and voice, then grew into a fuller track with drums, piano, and flamenco-influenced guitar textures. The verses leave room to breathe, while the choruses tumble forward almost without pause. The goal was for the song to feel less like a political statement than an uncomfortable conversation we are all part of. It was recorded at Hyde Street Studio A in San Francisco on April 2, 2026.