Gold Coast pop duo Love Level have just dropped their second single Bad Bye, and it might be the push you need to cut off a toxic friendship. It’s a breathy, driving track with sounds that’ll catch you a little off guard - but the vocals will keep you coming back for more.

When you’re trying to establish yourself as an artist, there can be a desire to throw the kitchen sink at your first couple of tracks and refine from there. After all, you want to bring in a wide audience straight away, right? Unfortunately, this approach can lead to a muddled sound and a vision that isn’t clear.

Love Level, on the other hand, have already got a sound they can call their own. This song feels like moving your way through a smoke machine - it’s not quite concrete, and you’ll find yourself grasping at the track, trying to grab it before its gone. Then you’ll hit repeat. Such is the plight of a music listener that’s hearing an artist that’s put a new spin on a familiar sound.

Speaking about the track, the band says it’s more than a year in the making. “When we first wrote Bad Bye we were super unsure about what direction we wanted to take it in, so it remained unfinished for almost a year.

“We went through phases of hating it and then loving it and then completely changing it, in fact, it was the most indecisive we’ve ever been with a song. We started working on the track with Callum MacDonald of daste. and he had some really cool ideas-when he brought them to life, we knew we had to release the song.

“When you’re in a toxic friendship, it’s so easy to sacrifice your own feelings for the sake of protecting the other person’s feelings. For us, this song is about standing up for yourself and speaking your mind when you’ve stayed silent for so long.”

It’s an important point to make, and not one that’s always expressed out loud. A lot of the time, people will continue friendships to avoid upsetting the other person - but it’s 2020. We’ve gotta start taking care of ourselves. If you think of someone when you listen to this song, then it might be time to have a frank chat to them. They’ve either gotta shape up as a friend, or it’s time to say goodbye.

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Check out Bad Bye below. There’s more new music on the way from Love Level, and I’m excited. There’s no cookie-cutter production on this track, and there’s enough elements to draw you in for repeat listen after listen. Melding pop and R&B sounds is something a lot of people attempt, but don’t always get right. I’m calling it - Love Level have smashed it out of the park.