In Rotation: Bombflower - Bleed Me Out

Phil Collins - December 21, 2017

Bleed Me Out cover

Chicago ska punks Bombflower continue to grow and push their sound into new areas on their third full-length album in as many years. If their second album was Bombflower's recorded music catching up to the sound the band was polishing at live shows, Bleed Me Out is a jump ahead of what we have seen so far. "Born From Below" is the most stark example of this shift. The song retains some ska elements but takes on a jazzy, loungey complexion in the verses. It then dials up to a surprisingly heavy guitar section toward the end of the song, only to drop back to a lullaby-soft finish. The song feels like the moment in a horror movie when the established rules are finally broken. It's the most exciting thing on this album.

That song is immediately followed by the song "Bombflower," a song that is much more in line with what one would expect to hear when listening to the band, and fittingly so if this is going to be their theme song. Album opener "Bleed Me Out" and "Parasite" will also be crowd pleasers. Horns appear prominently on "Quit That Kind" and "Money Trained." The former is the most straightforward ska song on the album while the latter takes on a choppier rhythm.

Bleed Me Out releases digitally on Saturday. The album is coming out on vinyl through our brother organization, Don't Panic Records & Distro, early next year. Pre-order the vinyl at their bandcamp page. The album will also be released on cassette through No Time Records. Bombflower's album release show is this Saturday night at Beat Kitchen with UGLYBoNES, Buried in Yellow, The Cheap Dates and Death of Self. More info on that show here. You will have to wait a couple more days to hear the entire album, but for now you can stream the song "Money Trained" below.