Interview: The String Revolution discuss Billie Eilish and Plants vs. Zombies mashup “Bad Zombies"

Guitar ensemble The String Revolution have been delivering unique covers of beloved songs such as Elton John’s ”Rocket Man” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.” Now, they’ve decided to take on two songs at once with their mashup of “Crazy Dave’s Theme” from EA’s Plants vs. Zombies and Billie Eilish’s hit single “bad guy.” We had a discussion with Janet Robin about the recent release.

MP3s and NPCs: The String Revolution recently unveiled “Bad Zombies,” which is a mashup of Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” and “Crazy Dave’s Theme” from EA’s Plants vs. Zombies. How did you land this opportunity?

Janet Robin: So this totally unique and amazing idea came from EA Games Music Prez Steve Schnur, whom we met during the Grammy's® in 2024. He approached us with this idea, which at first kinda sounded wacky, but then it all made sense when you hear both songs, and there is an interview where Billie and FINNEAS discuss their influence from that theme song. It's definitely not the same song, but you can totally hear the influence. And being that Steve works for EA he thought it would be a great thing to try. The String Revolution is always revolutionizing, so we are open to a lot of unconventional ideas.

MP3s and NPCs: Billie Eilish and FINNEAS helped out with the musical arrangement. What was it like working with those two?

Robin: Everything pretty much went through Steve Schnur when it came to Billie and FINNEAS as it is truly his connection, and he has a relationship with them from other projects. The song took a lot of twists and turns and each demo was brought back to them to listen to either in person or through their manager and any notes from those listening sessions came to us.

MP3s and NPCs: Cellist Tina Guo also appears on the song. How was it collaborating with her on the track?

Robin: Tina is a total badass. If you don't know who she is, she is a world-class cellist that has played on tons and tons of soundtracks and games and does a ton of work with Hans Zimmer. We were super excited when Steve brought her into the project and into the session for recording and arrangement parts with her cello. She is a master at that. In fact, there was no sheet music; we were all just coming up with arrangement parts and ideas on the spot. We love working that way because it can unleash a ton of creativity in the moment.

MP3s and NPCs: Are any members of The String Revolution gamers?

Robin: Yes. Two: Rober Luis and Markus ILLKO. I admittedly hadn't even heard of that game before, but then I downloaded it, and now I'm completely addicted.

MP3s and NPCs: The String Revolution has done a handful of covers over the years. What usually goes into deciding what cover to tackle next?

Robin: There's never a set idea on what to do next, really. We do have some originals we've released and another one coming out later this year. Mostly, we're just interested in creating unique arrangements and productions, whether it's a cover or original. Of course, covering anything, you really have to approach it from a totally different POV without losing the soul of the song. That's always a challenge, but we're always up for challenges!

MP3s and NPCs: What's currently in the works for The String Revolution?

Robin: Well, we're literally working on the "Bad Zombies" video right now and we hope to have it out first week of October. We're also in the middle of mixing a new original called "Running Man," and we've been progressing on our holiday record we've been wanting to do for years. I don't think it will be done in time for this season but perhaps next year. In the meantime, we plan on continuing to compose and hopefully tour a lot more in 2027.