Baltimore hardcore miscreants Jivebomb specialize in short, fast, uncompromising bursts of absolute hardness. There is nothing remotely accessible about their sound; it's just a massively satisfying primal chug-splat. With that in mind, it's pretty funny that Jivebomb decided to call their full-length debut Ethereal, an adjective that no critic would ever use to describe this band's music.
It's definitely time for a Jivebomb album. They've been playing out for a few years, and I've seen them get hone their approach. The band's awesome Primitive Desires EP came out in 2022. They recorded Ethereal in Brooklyn with Uniform's Ben Greenberg producing, and their lead single "Survival Ain't Taught" hits with a guttural mid-tempo stomp. Singer Kat Madeira kind of looks like Billie Eilish, but she sounds like one of the Old Gods, come to purge Earth of its human pestilence. At 90 seconds, "Survival Ain't Taught" might be the longest Jivebomb track to date, though some of that is the rap-instrumental outro.
For the "Survival Ain't Taught" video, director Noah Haycock has shot something that could've aired on late-'90s TRL, which was an awesome decision. We see Jivebomb striking fisheye lens poses next to a fully loaded lowrider and a wall of lights. It looks amazing. Below, check out the "Survival Ain't Taught" video, the Ethereal tracklist, and the band's upcoming shows.
TRACKLIST:
01 "The Impact"
02 "Estrella"
03 "Survival Ain't Taught"
04 "Wise Choise"
05 "Fate's Domain"
06 "Rhythm Zero"
07 "Charm"
08 "Mistaken"
09 "Seraphim (Marina's Song)"
10 "Disfigured Identity"
TOUR DATES:
1/28 - Washington, DC @ Pie Shop
1/29 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom *
1/30 - Worcester, MA @ Ralph’s Rock Diner *
1/31 - Rutherford, NJ @ The Blackbox at The Williams Center *
2/01 - Baltimore, MD @ Disturbin’ The Peace Fest
2/15 - Miami, FL @ Flatspot World Fest
4/05-06 - Atlanta, GA @ House of Disorder Fest
* with Angel Du$t
Ethereal is out 3/28 on Flatspot Records.
