Josh Olsen Reflects On Our Hidden Past

Los Angeles based singer-songwriter, Josh Olsen, has released the long awaited music video for his latest single “Bad Things”. Artistically cryptic, the video opens with Josh being dragged by his feet through an ominous forest. He is then thrown into an abandoned cabin, doused with water, with a plastic bag thrown over his head. It seems as though his life only has seconds remaining. It is then revealed that he is doing this to himself; Josh is his own kidnapper.

The video and single has us looking at the good and bad in all of us and ultimately what makes us human. The song was inspired by a relationship that went awry, “A person can be completely wrong for you, but yet we almost start to crave the negativity in our lives because of how they make us feel sometimes,” he says, “When we fall for someone, we often accept negativity in the relationship in light of our positive feelings, even to the point where we crave that negative energy.”

“Bad Things” leaves the listener to reflect on past regrets. The chorus “why do the bad things feel so good?” lends the question of accepting our resentments. Learning from the past to look forward to a brighter future. We can go about this in one of two ways in our personal lives: we could beat ourselves up about our past actions or we could learn and live. In the music video, Josh chooses the easy option we all fall victim to. We beat ourselves up. Our remorseful unconscious pins us down when we are out having fun, trying to forget about regrets. We can’t escape ourselves and Josh can’t escape himself.

The video closes with Josh and his own enemy stranded on a canoe in the middle of the lake. The evil side of himself throws Josh into the lake with a cement block tied to his neck. In an attempt to finally set himself free from his past actions, Josh brings the evil side of himself down with him.

The track has an introspective outlook on running away from our problems, but knowing that they’re always going to come back to find you. Josh’s smooth vocals and resonating melodies create a beautiful dissonance that encapsulates the listener and submerges them into Josh’s world.

Josh Olsen is actively working on new music. His next single is expecting in the next coming months. Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for new work from Josh!