Salt Ashes dives unapologetically into darkness with new single, ‘Bad Things Right’, a track that pulses with tension, edge, and a defiant heart. Directed by Katya Ganfeld, the music video blurs the line between gothic fantasy and synth-pop noir, translating the song’s brooding narrative into a surreal, rebellious aesthetic that’s impossible to look away from.
The video opens on an arresting scene: Salt Ashes, dressed as a holy sister, stands alone outside a looming church. The atmosphere is thick with foreboding, only deepened by the grainy cinematography and bold red lighting that lingers like a neon bruise. Ganfeld’s direction paints Salt Ashes as both sinner and saint, as she plays out the fractured tale of betrayal and defiance hinted at in her lyrics.
As the track builds we also see Salt Ashes in a tailored suit on an abandoned theatre stage, bringing an air of timeless elegance to her provocative story. Pink bubbles, cigarettes, and a high-stakes game of cards add to the chaos, with Salt Ashes joined by two “nuns” in risqué attire, challenging the boundaries between purity and rebellion. Her bright pink nails flash like a sign of defiance, a deliberate splash of modernity in this eerie, cinematic world. With each beat, the video pulses between black-and-white shots and erratic bursts of colour, mimicking the song’s haunting synths and hard-hitting rhythms.
Salt Ashes’ voice is a smoky seduction on ‘Bad Things Right’—a powerful, alluring instrument that glides over a pulsing, synth-driven beat. Lines like “They put me on a pedestal / But accused me for the things I’d never done” reveal a depth of frustration and vulnerability. Her lyrics, sharp and visceral, are a cathartic journey from being scapegoated to embracing the darkness others have cast upon her. In the chorus, she doesn’t just accept her “villain” status; she weaponizes it, declaring, “So now I wanna do bad things right.” Halfway through, the video crescendos as Salt Ashes dances in front of the church, now set ablaze. The flames signal not just destruction, but a kind of rebirth, as if she’s finally embracing her villainous role and transforming it into power.
““Bad Things Right’ dives into the frustration of being cast as the villain in someone else’s story,” Salt Ashes explains. “It’s about what it feels like to be misjudged and how mistrust and blame can twist a person’s sense of self. Why not rebel and be bad when everyone expects the worst in you anyway? From hurt to defiance.”
With its intoxicating blend of high-drama visuals, shadowy synth-pop beats, and lyrics that cut like a confession, ‘Bad Things Right’ positions the Brighton songstress as both artist and anti-heroine. It’s a brazen exploration of what it means to own your darkness, served up in a video that’s both electrifying and unsettling. This is Salt Ashes at her most bold—and it’s deliciously, defiantly bad.