By Veronika Lancaster Deliyannakis
Bad Flirt are a lot of things. They’ve been called indie, punk, pop, rock and even Canada’s next favourite female-fronted band — though the band does find that one a bit silly. Lead singer Jasamine White-Gluz says that there is more than one female and the guys are just as important for making their self-described brand of satanic metal.
“In our heads we’re like a really heavy satanic metal band, but I’m pretty sure we’re just a rock band — pop rock,” says White-Gluz. “I mean, everyone seems to have a different way of describing it, but I would say it’s just pop rock.”
Bad Flirt are influenced by their Quebecois/English-Canadian duality in many ways, especially when touring. Bands they know as really big in Montreal haven’t even registered a blip on the radar in other places. Much of their music is influenced by other bands and a whole array of musical styles from punk to pop to heavy metal. There’s even some klezmer and polka roots in their mutt-like musical heritage.
“A lot of the music we listen to sounds nothing like the music we make,” says White-Gluz. “A lot of us come from a punk background, which is why we sort of have a punk ethic. Now a lot of us like gay ’80s music — but not ironically.”
Originally Bad Flirt consisted of White-Gluz, but it was only a matter of time before she found the bandmates she’d always wanted. For better or for worse, the band that she’d imagined finally came together.
“I think we’ve become quite the little family here,” explains White-Gluz. “We sort of live in a little bubble where people don’t get the things we find really funny and we speak in weird code. It’s all a really happy little family.”
Bad Flirt had previous released a few EPs independently, which taught them the ropes. After finding a label, Kartel Musik, White-Gluz, says they were able to adapt, evolve and change greatly since their independent days. Still, through it all, Bad Flirt enjoyed putting all the work into their new cd, Virgin Talk.
White-Glutz explains that the group is still having a whole lot of fun with it and constantly growing up.
“We don’t play some songs anymore, so a lot of the old stuff doesn’t reflect the band at all anymore,” says White-Gluz. “Even the new record, Virgin Talk, when we play it live, it’s a lot heavier than people thought. Yeah, I guess even the new stuff is constantly evolving.”