JIVEBOMB has been at the forefront of woman-led hardcore punk bands since their debut in 2022. In a scene dominated by men, JIVEBOMB has earned respect from hardcore local legends, such as Turnstile and Angel Dust — even sharing the stage with them, a testament to their fresh and raw talent. Although the band only released 2 EPs — 11 songs in total prior to this album release — the four-year-old band has managed to stay relevant with such a small repertoire.
JIVEBOMB released their debut album, “ETHEREAL,” on March 28. The album features 10 tracks spanning across a 15-minute-and two-second runtime.
“ETHEREAL” opens with “THE IMPACT,” giving a taste on what direction the band is heading. The soft-opening sample is an unspoken tradition of their local scene. While this appears as a promising homage to other Baltimore hardcore bands, it fails to produce anything new and exciting and is ultimately just that – a tribute without substance. Although the song gave a good representation on how the other tracks would sound, it clearly is not the strongest and most remarkable song of the bunch.
Further in the album, tracks like “ESTRELA” and “CHARM” bring the listeners back to the band’s raw “two-stepping” sound — this time with a new, more polished production style. “SURVIVAL AIN’T TAUGHT” and “RHYTHM ZERO” prove to be the most experimental songs on the album. The nu-metal-esque, chugging riffs of “SURVIVAL AIN’T TAUGHT” allow Kat Madeira’s guttural vocals to shine in a track that comes out of left field. “RHYTHM ZERO” kicks the listener in the face with a messy 80s-style guitar solo complimented by dance-heavy drums that would make any hardcore fan want to get up and jump. While these tracks are well-produced, fun and lively, they are not exactly much to write home about.
Undeniably, the album proves that JIVEBOMB has the talent to create something truly great, but they fall short. It is respectable that JIVEBOMB chose to venture out of their comfort zone in their debut, but it felt like they were not committed to this new sound. It is as if they had a few good ideas and surrounded those ideas with mediocre and lackluster filler, watering down any actual substance in their new album.
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