After three years of developing their songs, The New Nostalgia dropped their debut record “Bleed And Bloom” on the 2nd of September 2022. It has a diverse sound that nearly splits it in half from raw and heavy tunes to heartfelt colorful sound, or as they described it “ it details a personal journey from a place of rage and anger to a place of self-reflection and acceptance” so, let’s see how this journey goes.
“bloom I” opens the record and it sent my expectations over the roof!! The intimidating mysterious intro with those powerful vocals and how it smoothly progresses into a heavy intense modern banger created a perfect opener. “Bleed” picks up the energy and pace with a more punk-ish sound at the intro, it shifts into a slower yet heavier sound with more groove and a playful vocal melody that made things even more interesting. Coming next with a jump around energetic guitar melodies is “Nothing Is New”. It’s like an energy boost right from the beginning with singalong parts and sky-high dynamics that’ll make it a great live song. “Ibis Budget” has more of a narrative sound with a pure punk attitude, hard-hitting riffs, and engaging melodies. With more sludgy influences slipping in comes “Manifesto” with fat bass and thick melodic slow and heavy guitar melodies that created an interesting twist in the record’s direction. “Therapy” brings another side of The New Nostalgia, it’s mainly an acoustic ballad with mellow vibes and heartfelt melodies that cuts really deep. I loved how emotional it gets in a way that deeply connects the listener with the band on a whole new level. They dramatically steer their sound towards a brighter and more colorful one on “Bridges”. It has an open, light sound that can be more approachable to a wider range of audiences with more melodic guitar melodies, clean powerful vocals, moving jazzy drums, and rocking chill solos. The New Nostalgia pushes things further with “Fragile Bones/bloom II”, keeping on with their fresh new direction and pushing it towards a more pop-rock sound with more extended sound and more developed structure than its predecessor. “Millenial Love” opens with some cool drumming that builds up to a fluid stream of melodies that softly leads us to a fun catchy verse and chorus. It ends the record on a high note with its energy and progression into a big sound with loads of multi-layered melodies and powerful vocals.
“Bleed And Bloom” shows how diverse The New Nostalgia’s influences are with tracks shifting from heavy raw tunes with punk, sludge, and hard rock vibes to more mellow and laidback fun tunes with an open sound and catchy structures creating an appealing record to a wide range of audiences. I’m totally looking forward to seeing where they’ll take it from there, waiting for more. Cheers!
