Katy Perry, bandaids | Song Review

After the substantial ‘L’ that was 143 (as well as the all-female rocket launch), things are looking up for Katy Perry on her respectable single, “bandaids.”

“It’s not what you did, it’s what you didn’t / You were there, but you weren’t.”

That is thought-provoking, Katy Perry! I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the elephant in the room.  Perry, a Grammy-nominated pop superstar, had an epic fail for the ages in 2024. Led by the repugnant “Woman’s World”, her comeback album, 143, was nothing short of a hot mess.  Adding to the negative waves made by Perry was the highly criticized all-female rocket launch in 2025. Hopefully, “bandaids” gets Perry back to pop’s upper echelon and being talked about for the right reasons.  While getting excited for new Katy Perry doesn’t hit like it did when she was that girl, it is great to see her pack more of a punch on this song. Perry penned “bandaids” with lots of songwriters: Kiddo A.I., Ibanez Maeva, Justin Tranter, Eren Cannata, Russ Chell, and Sean Cook.  Of those credited writers, Tranter, Cannata, Chell, and Cook produced too.

So, why does “bandaids” pack more punch from Katy Perry than we’ve seen from a while? Perry seems to bring more sincerity, passion, and frankly, better vocals. Perry is by no means categorized with powerhouse vocalists, but she has some pipes, and she shows them off more here. The songwriting is memorable and relatable, particularly the pre-chorus and chorus sections. “Telling myself you’ll change, you don’t,” she sings, and concludes the pre-chorus with “Band-Aids over a broken heart.” That’s deep! Of course, the chorus is the crème de la crème:

“Tried all the medications

Lowered my expectations

Made every justification

Bleeding out, bleeding out, bleeding out slow

Band-Aids over a broken heart.”

The bridge is also noteworthy, capped off by Perry’s acknowledgement that “The love that we made was worth it in the end.” The melodies are tuneful, while the musical accompaniment and production suit Perry to perfection. After taking a substantial L with 143, “bandaids” suggests her real comeback album is on its way… hopefully. It is tons better than “Woman’s World” could’ve ever hoped to be!