Today, Mal Not Bad –– the Los Angeles-based artist, producer, and Hayley Williams, Mk.gee, Jay Som, and NoSo collaborator –– announces their new album out September 9th, SOPHOMORE. They also share new track and video “WIDC,” inviting the listener and viewer into the intricacies of Mal’s universe, which exists in the locker-lined halls of a Catholic school. Listen to / watch “WIDC” here, and presave SOPHOMORE here.

In Mal’s halls, all of the hindsight of growing up and finding one’s self has been obtained; the comfort in the conformity of a Catholic school uniform rubs up against the elation in the freedom of dressing in a way that feels true to you, and taking that body dancing in a room of similarly-differently-minded people. “WIDC” is like if a MUNA (s/t-era) track were run through an elaborate pedal setup, spliced with the impressionistic nature of Westerman’s alternative electronica.

“WIDC” finds Mal purposefully injecting a sense of play into their creative process; mainly inspired by SZA, the documentary The Last Dance, and Frank Ocean, they share further: “Everything on that song is pretty much a first take, first idea. I used complete gibberish naming every track to keep myself in the mindset of not taking it too seriously because, after all, making music is inherently hilarious. The pitched down vocal was all improv and my real time reaction to pitching down my voice for the first time.”

As the track goes, “And now I just feel tested while I’m trying to focus Been practicing my reverence just like Michael and Kobe RIP, talk-talk-talk about staying committed.”

Watch “WIDC” here

“WIDC” follows previous single “Amorph(e)ous” on which Mal Not Bad conveys the tense vulnerability of opening up and the euphoric relief of community through musical gesture: skittering hi-hats and a techno pulse heightening the anticipatory cortisol spike, warm synthesizer swells and smears of guitar punctuating the rush of assurance and pursuant abandon; an exquisite track that pays homage to the open-armed acceptance of rave culture.

Mal Hauser is a trans Los Angeles–based artist who released their acclaimed debut album This Is Your New Life as Mal Not Bad in 2024. The record earned support from KCRW, BBC Radio 6, NPR, and major streaming playlists, with praise from The Guardian, SPIN, and NME. A self-producing multi-instrumentalist, Mal has toured internationally, and recently co-wrote and co produced Jay Som’s album Belong, and opened the Your Smith Fall 2025 tour.

Mal Not Bad’s solo project combines music, visual, and fashion elements to create a fully realized universe for the listener and viewer to become immersed in. Each release operates as a chapter within an evolving world, where sound, imagery, and texture are intentionally intertwined The upcoming music emphasizes emotional resonance and world-building over linear narrative, inviting audiences to engage intuitively rather than passively.

The lush soundscapes and expressionistic lyricism of Mal’s songs align to bring the listener into a poetic and playful rumination on safety, control, and identity that is at once bittersweet and buoyant.