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Bio

Bad Optics is less of a band, and more of an idea. That idea being, what if there was a band?

Bad Optics is a progressive-post-art-whatever-punk band from Seattle, WA (that's in the U.S.A., for you geography-heads out there). Here are some words you can use to describe them: Loud. Confrontational. Iconoclastic. Paranoid. Gelatinous. Their music is based around the tried 'n' true guitar-bass-drums-yelling format, but also incorporates elements of jazz, folk, industrial music, and whatever various bits and pieces sound interesting at the time. As every single thing in the world needs a mission statement these days, theirs is to continue evolving their sound with each release so that they never form a consistent fan base and die penniless.

Bad Optics was formed in Washington in the late twenty-teens. They've released two full-length records (2025's The Bounded World and 2022's Pax Americana), three EPs (2026's Death Cult Blues, 2023's The Visitor, and 2018's Warm Strokes of Pragmatism), and a couple of singles here and there.

Bad Optics is currently Linden Crumrine (bass), Christian J. Hidell (guitar / vocals / synth), Joshua Ihler (drums), and Alex Warton (guitars / trumpet).

Members

Present
Linden Crumrine: Bass (2025 - Present)
Christian J. Hidell: Lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer
Joshua Ihler: Drums, percussion, backing vocals
Alex Warton: Guitar, backing vox, trumpet (2023 - Present)

Past
Ryan Alexander: Lead vocals, guitar (2018 - 2019)
Stephanie Jones: Bass, backing vocals (2019 - 2025)
Max Stephens: Lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer (2019 - 2023)
Henry Yarsinske, Jr.: Bass (2018 - 2019)

a press photo of Bad Optics taken by Lux Lain