Greyscale Records/Pure Noise Records
February 16
Words by Lewd Scoff
As you probably don’t know, I really enjoy musical collectives that like to change up their sound here and there whilst still maintaining a constant aesthetic cohesion to the overall vibe of the sound they create.
Sydney, Australia’s BLOOM fit that brief down to the (metal)core.
One listen to their highly anticipated upcoming 2024 full-length album Maybe In Another Life has me adding songs to various playlists on my streaming platform of choice. Current single You & I provides a magical showcase of how a twin melodic vocal attack can work within a metal/indie/emo vibe akin to MATCHBOOK ROMANCE – full of emotion and pathos – with lyrics like maybe if things were different, another time another space, You and I another day placing the listener in a back and forth between two lovers that could have been, but weren’t meant to be.
Jono Hawkey’s ability to swap from sweet melody to aggressive screamo style singing gives the band a versatility that pushes the narrative of this concept album based on ‘possibility’, examining longing, self-indulgence, fantasy, manipulation and despair through the eyes of a character that is constantly being challenged by their reality.
From the very beginning of the album, it is clear why BLOOM are constantly touring with juggernauts of the heavy music world (WHILE SHE SLEEPS, THORNHILL and an upcoming Japanese tour with ERRA).
Whilst billed as a two-vocal band, title track Maybe In Another Life also features the brutal vocalizations of guitarist Oliver Butler, adding even more depth to the band’s sonic statement. Anyone who saw them at the Good Things Festival in late 2023 will attest that the band are not studio tricksters and can deliver the vocal onslaught suggested on their albums within a live setting.
Having recently signed to Pure Noise Records – home of fellow Australians AMITY AFFLICTION and alongside the likes of COUNTERPARTS and KNOCKED LOOSE – it’s fairly easy to see why metal critics are clambering to sing the praises of this 5-piece rupture of auricular magnificence. From drummer Jack Van Vliet’s tasty skin smashing backed by bassist Andrew Martin giving off ‘I’m more than just the bottom end filler’ inclinations in both sound and stage presence, the band plays as a compatible nuance of cohesion throughout the album’s 10 tracks.
Whether it’s songs like the 91-second onslaught of Laughing Stock – which says so much in time changes as any DREAMTHEATER over-complication – or the album’s atmospheric opener An Entry, to a song like Fragments Of A Dream – which sits in the same space as the title track complete with an epic chorus courtesy of singer-guitarist Jarod Mclaren – February 16 is bound to be an exciting day for fans of bands like TOUCHÉ AMORE, BEING AS AN OCEAN and UNDEROATH with the release of BLOOM’s Maybe In Another Life proving yet again that Aussie kids know how to express an array of emotions through beautiful aggressive music that helped this reviewer get through a tough day within one listen.
Special mention to the final track Through The Threshold, Beyond The Bend. Thank you for being a conduit to this amazing band’s ability to emotionally connect to the listener and use aggression as a positive guide to get through life’s bullshit.
