A new lineup of punk legends has formed in one of the genre’s most influential cities. For decades, Minneapolis has boasted one of the best and most daring independent music scenes of the past 50 years.
Brought on with the rise of punk and continuing through disco and modern college rock, the city has never stopped turning out new acts to watch for.
But over the past few years, some of the city’s musical veterans have been taking up the reigns all over again: former members of the city’s most influential punk bands, as well as those from across the country, have combined forces to form Ultrabomb, a band which takes the old sounds of the genre, returns with as big of a protesting spirit as ever, and creates a whole new era to their impressive body of work.
The group released their newest album, The Bridges That We Burn, via DC-Jam Records / Virgin Music Group on May 1st, with the album's performer lineup consisting of Greg Norton (formerly of Husker Du), Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum), and Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion).
These three set out with a new intention: to take the sounds from their past and move them forward into something fresh and equally angry. The band encapsulates benchmarks of the classic punk sound that their long-time fans love: heavy screams, fast beats, and political themes, but they connect all of these with modern, topical commentary. In classic punk fashion, the album’s eleven songs last a total of 32 minutes of rapid guitar and screams of political rage.
The band previously released singles “Artificial Stars” and “Checked Out” in January, followed by singles and music videos “Look Forward in Anger” and “No Cap” ahead of the album’s release. These latter two singles, more than any others, exemplify the sounds and feelings of the rest of the album: loud, messy, and unapologetic.
The video release for "Look Forward in Anger" shows the band playing through a news broadcast and smashing TV screens to nod to their unflinching political nature, while "No Cap," though one of the most sonically bold tracks on the album, mainly shows the band playing the track in the studio and on stage.
The band's opening track, “Darwin Awards,” provides the album’s title in its first line, followed by lines like “bad choices make good stories if you live to tell the tale,” which give the track a feeling of timelessness: like a tune that has always existed, but is just now being recorded.
"Darwin Awards" sets the tone for the album as one of balance: classic angry punk, fun and relaxed DIY, and expert song structure and musicianship, all rolled into an album that will scratch an itch for so many old and new fans.
The remainder of the album continues to alternate between more simplistic approaches to a well-loved punk sound (“Divert Deflect” and “Zombie Zeroes”) and newer approaches to the genre, bringing the musicians’ lifelong righteous anger into current conversations around the behavior and expectations placed on musicians (“Artificial Stars”).
They also, unsurprisingly, touch on the chronic injustices and unceasing atrocities of U.S. politics (“Sicko Rants”) and include tracks that exemplify the side of the genre almost entirely focused on humor (“BSS”).
Some of the album’s many highlights include Smith’s absolutely insane guitar segments in “Zombie Zeroes” and “Last Time,” the line “We’re all dead but still alive / fighting hard just to survive, you know,” which feels tragically timeless, and the high energy of “No Cap,” which is almost undoubtedly the crowning jewel of the album. Its sound is bright yet angry, fun while still carrying a satisfying edge.
The record ends with “Mosquito Crucifixion,” a new version of the Suicide Commandos song of the same name. The band closes the album with a delightfully unserious tribute to the genre that has closely defined the lives of all three members for nearly 50 years.
The full album The Bridges That We Burn is available to stream everywhere now.
The band is also embarking on a full U.S. tour and festival circuit beginning in Long Beach at the end of May and continuing through the fall.
