bad times Lyrics – Jessica Baio | from “SACRED”

Jessica Baio’s SACRED drops in five days—January 9 via 10K Projects—and “bad times” sneaks in like that 2 a.m. text you shouldn’t send, romanticizing the wreckage of what was because the polished now just feels like a pretty cage.

This lead single, out since July, is Baio at her most disarmingly honest: breathy vocals floating over Andrew Goldstein’s shimmering pop production, blending indie-folk intimacy with subtle electronic pulses that swell like suppressed sobs. It’s confessional bedroom pop with a cinematic edge—think late-night drives scored by aching synths and fingerpicked guitars, evoking the raw thrill of fights that felt like fireworks.

Thematically, it’s a love letter to the mess: missing those “sad highs” and starlit arguments because they pulsed with realness, while today’s “good times” ring empty. Baio penned it from a place of post-breakup haze, channeling that universal pull toward familiar pain over sterile peace—no features, just her voice cracking on lines like “I’m in the good times, but it ain’t what it was.” Fans caught the teaser on her TikTok, where raw demo clips sparked 500K likes, turning it into a quiet anthem for anyone who’s ever scrolled ex-photos at sunset.

SACRED marks her sophomore swing, a two-part excavation of the heart’s hidden corners after 2023’s UNSAID deluxe blew up with 195 million streams and TikTok virality. Part one’s eight tracks—“love me less,” “ferrari,” “accident,” the title cut, “el roy st.,” “got it bad,” and “made for you”—promise a lush dive into vulnerability, blending pop hooks with folk-tinged confessions about love’s sharp edges and self-reckoning. Recorded in LA pockets between tours, it’s got that evolved Baio stamp: less wide-eyed debut wonder, more weathered wisdom, with producers like Goldstein layering in live strings for a warmth that hugs the hurt. No grand concept drop, just Baio inviting you into her diary—pre-save buzzing on Spotify as part two looms later in ’26.

The Utah-raised firecracker’s owning this glow-up at 23, fresh off UNSAID’s festival slots and that Madison Beer-adjacent buzz that snagged her a 2025 Billboard nod for Rising Artist. She’s traded teen diary dumps for something fiercer—therapy-fueled, unfiltered pop that screams for the girls who romanticize their scars. SACRED? It’s her staking claim as the voice for when “happy” starts tasting bland.

Dive into the bad times lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other SACRED tracks for more of Jessica Baio’s vulnerable pop confessions.