On “Next Life”, Bobo.Xx Explores a New Theme: Vulnerability
A rockstar can only stay ferocious for so long. On “Next Life”, Bobo.Xx tries something new: Showing his feelings.
For the past three years, Bobo.Xx has cultivated his pain into art. Ripping apart the tension in his head to create aggressive, confrontational music, the singer has depicted a man at war with himself. After making a name for himself with the feisty bombast of “No More Talking” and “PAIN”, Bobo has begun to push himself towards darker matters. “Airing It Out”, his last release, was Bobo’s first stab at creating a mid-tempo rock track. “Don’t mind me while I’m running my mouth,” he sang in the chorus, “I’m just airing it out.”
But on his latest single “Next Life”, Bobo explores a new theme: vulnerability. The track, released today on streaming services, is a slight departure for Bobo. The razor sharp rock star has traded in hard-hitting lyrics and crashing melodies for an introspective track about missed chances. “I’ve been waiting for you/ But it’s not my time,” he wails in the chorus, “I’ll be waiting for you in the next life.”
“Next Life” could actually be categorized as Bobo’s first love song. In the best of emo traditions, Bobo’s now exploring unrequited love as the ultimate form of anguish. The track, which is a sly response to an ex’s single from a few years ago, is one that finds the singer grappling with the end of a relationship. “I miss how we used to light up every room/ But I don’t want you paying for my burden,” he sings in the second verse. “Hate that I’m not with you/ Hold me/ Kill me/ Fell in/ Falling/ The choice is not mine”.
While Bobo’s music can easily be compared to bands like Blink-182, the reference points for “Next Life” came from an Asian rock band that was influential for Bobo in his childhood. “We took a lot of inspiration from 2000s J-Rock like Asian Kung Fu Generation,” Bobo told me when he first sent me the demo. “They were in every anime back then. So we wanted to make something you could put in one of those anime,” he added with a laugh. Asian Kung Fu Generation’s music crashes and lunges forward in the same way as Bobo’s, but perhaps most notable is the way both lead vocals sound completely on the edge of falling apart.
“The song has vulnerable lyrics and I wanted the guitars to scream,” he said, “so it’s a nice balance.”
Bobo’s had a transformational year as a performer. Last year, he opened for The Rose at their Foum show and collaborated with Epik High’s Tablo on his hit track “PAIN”. Since then, the singer’s been digging into his sound. He’s one of the few Vietnamese American artists performing in the rock music scene and likely the only person to go from a career in photography to hitting the stage at a show, like he did on Epik High’s tour.
If you’re in the LA or OC area this weekend, you can catch Bobo performing a free set on Friday at the Harmony of the Dragon Lunar New Year event in Garden Cove, California.
Perhaps what Bobo knows best in “Next Life” is that love is synonymous with pain. There is always a gamble in falling in love and getting your heartbroken. But to feel the full range of emotions, it’s important, necessary even, to try.
Plus, Bobo admitted with a laugh, “I’m a hopeless romantic.”
