If being a good girl is doing as grandma says, we’re screwed. It’s imposed on every female identifying person that there’s a specific protocol to follow in order to be considered good—sit straight, close your legs, don’t sleep around, don’t look alive!
Usually a “good girl” often turns “bad” by reputation, but to be honest, it’s always by choice since there is no good without bad. Until someone or something breaks us, as individuals, take for example Mima Good’s song “Bad For Me.”
What starts as a stomping laid back groove quickly becomes a louder, confident voice amidst downtempo arrangements that fill out your brain. “I like it when it’s bad for me,” sings Raechel Rosen under the pseudonym of Mima Good. The lyrics pinballing between self-reflection and the bad girl reputation, Rosen’s vocals flirt with the guitar progression as she urges disassociation from a past tumultuous relationship. It’s impossible to forfeit attention away from the track as it builds with thunderous drums and eerie backing vocals.
Rosen states “I like it when it’s bad for me”, reflecting on attachment to girlhood traumas and those who hurt us most. There’s a beautiful nod of affirmation to finally having control as the singer chants “I was free when I thought / I don’t care,” knowing what you really want after being broken. There’s a crash, forgiveness and eventually affirmation. Sonically, this is mirrored throughout the song and in the contrast between downtempo arrangements and the confidence of Mima Good.
As part of the upcoming release, Mima Good will perform at Elsewhere at The Good Girl party alongside Lola Pistola (myself), Pom Pom Squad, Menjuje, and with a DJ set by Amber Valentine. There will also be tables on site by Womanly Magazine, Bitchfist, Boring Boys Club and MACC Anarchy Fems—details and tickets here.
The self-release debut EP, Good Girl, is out April 24 on select digital platforms.
Find Mima Good on her website, Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
