Bad Bad Hats

Bad Bad Hats is an American rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2012. The band consists of Kerry Alexander, Chris Hoge, and Connor Davison. Kerry Alexander, born in July 1990, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and later moved to Florida at age 15. She met Chris Hoge while they were students at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their collaboration began after discovering each other’s music on Myspace, with Alexander performing folk originals and acoustic covers. The band officially formed in 2012 when fellow student Noah Boswell joined on bass. They started performing in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, initially alternating between acoustic and garage rock styles.

In their early career, Bad Bad Hats released lo-fi demos on Bandcamp, which included diverse elements such as kazoo solos and Shania Twain verses. In 2013, they released their debut EP, “It Hurts.” The band’s first LP, “Psychic Reader,” was released in 2015 on Afternoon Records. This album received positive reviews and led to more prominent performance opportunities, including opening for bands such as Third Eye Blind and Margaret Glaspy. In 2018, they released their second full-length album, “Lightning Round,” also on Afternoon Records. Both “Psychic Reader” and “Lightning Round” were produced by Brett Bullion, contributing to the band’s distinctive loose and organic sound. Following the release of “Lightning Round,” Noah Boswell departed to pursue graduate studies.

In 2019, Bad Bad Hats performed at South by Southwest, a significant milestone in their touring career. Their third LP, “Walkman,” was released in September 2021 on Don Giovanni Records. The band continued to develop their sound, and on April 12, 2024, they released their self-titled fourth album. Bad Bad Hats has toured with various artists, including The Beths, Margaret Glaspy, The Front Bottoms, Hippo Campus, and Michelle Branch. Their music has been described as indie pop, pop-punk, folk rock, and folk, with influences from ’90s rock and pop-punk.