Last year, Petey dropped off the album Lean Into Life, which Uproxx reckoned was one of 2021’s best LPs. He later added a song called “Perfect Teeth” to the album and now he’s back with more new music, this time a standalone single called “Big Bad!,” his first new song of the year. It’s a kinetic tune powered by a rapid-fire punk riff that’s also balanced out by some lighter elements.
In a statement, Petey says of the song, “‘Big Bad!’ is about when things seem bad in a big way. Not to be confused with times when things seem just a little bit bad! My friend Neil says it sounds like if Modest Mouse and Blink-182 made a song.”
Also worth noting is that Petey’s promotional videos are the best, so here’s him teasing “Big Bad!” last week:
@peteyusa My new song ‘Big Bad’ is out in ONE WEEK Please use the link in my bio to presave it and check out this clip for a sneak PEEK of the song!
This is Petey’s first new song of the year, but he’s been consistent with other creative output in 2022. In March, he debuted his Lean Into Life film. Just last month, he teamed up with former roommate Phony to feature on his single “Kaleidoscope.” He also performed at Innings Festival in February and South By Southwest in March, and he’s going on tour with Manchester Orchestra for a few dates this fall. Then, of course, there’s his TikTok videos, which are events in themselves that routinely get millions of views apiece.
Listen to “Big Bad!” above.