‘Bandaids’ is a perfectly fine pop-rock ballad. Is Katy Perry turning a new leaf? I don’t know, but I’m going to keep my expectations low so I can – hopefully – be pleasantly surprised again.
Watch zero gravity inside Blue Origin space flight with Katy Perry
Katy Perry, Gayle King and four other women experienced zero gravity as they reached the edge of space on Blue Origin.
Last year, I posed the question: What would a good Katy Perry song sound like in 2024? That ask came in response to “Woman’s World,” the supposedly cheeky feminist anthem that served as the lead single for her seventh studio album, “143.” The song was outdated in sound and subject matter, and it made me wonder if Perry had lost the sauce. The rest of the album didn’t offer any clarity, either.
She tried to join the house party two summers late with “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE” featuring Doechii just before she shot up to rap superstardom. The album’s second single, “LIFETIMES,” sounds ready made for “Love Island” transition scenes with its tepid tropical house production. The rest of the album is quite forgettable, and I’d rather not be reminded.
Perry’s public life post-”143” has made equally head-scratching choices. She notoriously went to space alongside Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez as part of Jeff Bezos’ space tourism endeavor, Blue Origin. The fight lasted 11 minutes, crossed the internationally recognized boundary of space and gave them a few moments of weightlessness.
Upon her return, Katy Armstrong Perry said the experience made her feel “connected to love” … whatever that means. Speaking of love, Perry split from fiancé Orlando Bloom in July and sparked relationship rumors with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the two were spotted on multiple outings together.
The randomness of these happenings seems like a perfect source of inspiration for more cringe, lifeless pop dribble. Perhaps an ode to maple syrup or a schmaltzy, inspirational ballad about being among the stars. Instead, Perry goes in the opposite direction – and finally answers my question.
The new Katy Perry song is … good?
When she recently announced a new single, “Bandaids,” I had no expectations at all. Her recent offerings didn’t exactly give me something to look forward to. If anything, I admired her perseverance; despite the critics dogpiling on every album since 2017’s “Witness,” she never shows signs of slowing down.
Much to my surprise, “Bandaids” is not terrible. I’d even call it good! No wheels are being reinvented – duh! – and I’m sure it’ll slide under the radar as one of her better “underrated” songs, but it’s proof that Perry still has some creative gas in the tank. “Bandaids” is the best song she’s released this decade and, though the bar is criminally low, it’s an accolade for Perry nonetheless.
What makes “Bandaids” so good is that she trades her eye-roll-inducing cheekiness for earnestness as she reckons with her past heartbreaks. It’s a maturity I find better fitting for this era of Katy Perry (™) than the endless “Teenage Dream” nostalgia slop. Perhaps the recent virality of her ballad “Thinking of You” inspired its pop-rock production.
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The music video sees Perry in one near-death situation after another, as is the nature of life and heartbreak. It’s also sort of what it’s like to follow this stage of her career and watch her crash and burn, get up, and crash and burn again.
“Bandaids” is an enjoyable pop-rock ballad with a familiar melody. Is Perry turning a new leaf? I don’t know, but I’m going to keep my expectations low so I can – hopefully – be pleasantly surprised again.
Kofi Mframa is a columnist and digital producer for USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network.