Bloom fans have been eagerly awaiting new music for a long time now. After years of listening to bangers such as ‘Cold’ and ‘Sink Into The Soil’ on repeat the wait is finally over with the release of their highly anticipated new album ‘Maybe In Another Life’.
In the past Bloom’s music has had a strong pop punk influence, mixed with a tinge of hardcore. Their sound was best described as a heavier Blink 182 with screaming instead of Tom DeLonge’s whiney vocals. This release keeps a bit of that pop-punk melody blend we’ve come to know and love while leaning more into metalcore. It seems that the time they spent touring with Thornhill, Holding Absence and Bad Omens last year has rubbed off as that’s the style their heading towards.
Bloom describes this album as a 10-part story of a character’s perspective on longing, self-indulgence, fantasy, manipulation and despair as they face the challenges of their reality. The best part of this album is that you can actually hear these themes in the music. For example, the intro track ‘An Entry’ gives the feeling of longing with the guitar picking and serene vocals in the beginning then starts to feel like a fantasy when the distorted lead guitar melody kicks in. This eventually portrays feelings of despair as the backup screams build in the background and the music intensifies.
This intro track is the calm before the storm. Bloom then came out swinging with 3 songs that were all released as singles. The title track ‘Maybe In Another Life’, sounds like the final stage of evolution for a style they’ve been gradually developing throughout all their prior releases. Followed by ‘Siren Song’, a throwback to their hardcore infused high octane hectic-ness. Then ‘Bound To Your Whispers’, which is probably their heaviest song to date.
The first half of this album is mostly carried by the instrumentals as that’s what stands out and provokes emotion. Usually, the most moving parts of Bloom’s music are the lyrics. With ‘Maybe In Another Life’ they’ve evolved to be able to move people in the same way using their instruments too.
However, they soon return to their roots with ‘Carve Yourself Into My Lungs’. A personal favourite that contains the same raw emotion in the lyrics/vocal delivery that we first heard in ‘Cold’. Jono Hawkey screaming “In the freezing cold you are an open flame, bring me comfort in my darkest days” over ambient guitar and pounding drums leaves you with a feeling that only Bloom seems to be able to give. It’s hard to describe but in short, it’s like your chest wants to explode.
Next up is ‘You & I’, which will probably be the biggest single of this release as it appears to be the most commercially appealing. A welcome return to their pop-punk influence with the most catchy hook of the album. It’s giving those “heavier Blink 182” vibes mentioned earlier. Listen to the bridge and tell me it isn’t so. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.
The album continues on this more mellow and melodic break, compared to the heaviness of the first half, with ‘Fragments Of A Dream’. Another song that is reminiscent of their older work and has you swaying involuntarily. Things then turn up a few notches with ‘Laughing Stock’, a quick return to their new heavier sound that primes you for ‘An Exit’. The climactic end of the journey with tones reminiscent of the intro track, a bunch of riffs that give goosebumps and a killer breakdown at the end. If these 9 tracks have told a journey then it seems like the final track ‘Through The Threshold, Beyond The Bend’ is the epilogue in which the antagonist reflects on the path and reveals where they’re currently at.
Every band that makes an impact has an album where they level up. Where the rawness that gained them traction has been refined and developed into a more palatable piece of work that appeals to a wider audience. ‘Maybe in Another Life’ seems to be Bloom’s graduation to that next level and is their strongest, heaviest work yet. It’s a sound they’ve been developing for around a decade and combines all the elements we love about them with things we didn’t realise were missing that make them sound fully formed.
Bloom: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: Greyscale Records/Pure Noise Records
Category: Album
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Brad Hapke
