With a pedigree including Hüsker Dü, Social Distortion and Soul Asylum, it’s perfectly acceptable to call UltraBomb a punk rock supergroup. And the band easily lives up to the “super” description on their sophomore album, The Bridges That We Burn. Spanning thrashing punk rock, simmering grunge and explosive power-pop, UltraBomb‘s latest is going to have major appeal to fans of any of members Greg Norton, Derek O’Brien and Ryan Smith’s past work.
Off the bat the band hits us with the explosive “Darwin Awards”, a supremely melodic power-pop cut filled with perfect harmonies and satiric lyrics (“We’re all winners in the Darwin awards”) that take a swipe at our self-destructive tendencies as a species. With sharp punk breaks and epic guitar work, the is a hit out the gate. Equally soaring is “Artificial Stars”, with its Replacements-esque melodies and guitar lines reaching for the stratosphere. The bass work here is also excellent, providing a grounding counter-melody that adds muscle and depth to the sonics.
The soulful vocals on “No Cap” are reminiscent of Soul Asylum‘s David Pirner, but when the chorus hits with a melodic hardcore glee, you’ll think you stepped back a couple decades into CBGB’s during a Ramones show. The bands members are all part of punk history, so they clearly know, respect and love all eras of the genre. The way they blend these eras together into these modern-sounding bangers is a reason why the band is such a pleasure to listen to. They have the experience and credentials to reference any sound without not sounding derivative or even like an homage – it’s purely them.
They’re able to burst out anthemic pop-punk that lyrically is directed at those in charge who are making our current decade miserable (“Sicko Rants”), and harder-edged street punk (“Checked Out”) addressing apathy (yet with more energy and hooks than any apathetic person could ever remain checked out for). The influence of heavier music courses through the record as well. “Zombie Zeroes” mixes 70’s garage punk with more eclectic 90’s alternative musicianship for a track that sounds like Smashing Pumpkins covering The Dead Boys. “Divert/Deflect” wades into grungier territory, with plodding rhythms and angrier atmosphere. The call-and-response verses juxtapose well against the heavy punk chorus, and shows off the band’s dark sider.
And no matter how serious the subject, the band simply sound like they’re have a blast. The camaraderie and joyous revelry come through in the performance on “Look Forward in Anger,” and the group are clearly having a lark with the comical hardcore “BSS.” I mean, there’s accordion on the song – if hardcore polka were to become a genre, UltraBomb would certainly kick ass at it.
This is definitely going to be high on the list of best punk, and flatly best albums, of 2026. Is perfectly produced, excellently written, and feels like it’s laying down the gauntlet for all the other punk rock bands out there to try and do better.
The album is out everywhere May 1st on DC-Jam Records. Listen to the previously released tracks here.
The Indy Review 