A band’s ability to provide a unique listening experience on each listen of a single song is pretty special. Enter NYC quintet BOMBZ, a kind of side-project/lovechild whose members have/had hands in a slew of other notable projects (Aye Nako, Rubblebucket, Rainer Maria, Perfect Pussy, Yabadum, ETC…). Their track, “Lonely Heartz,” (off their debut on Silence Breaks) displays a familiarity with song structures both undeniably captivating and deliberate, allowing for all sorts of feelings every time you revisit it. It opens with this gargling synth, like a mouthful of saltwater for a sore throat, giving way to the inquisitive main guitar theme that stays for the song’s duration, like a silhouette coming forth from a dusky street. But then comes the somewhat poppy, somewhat scathing blare of the rest of the full band and it’s something else entirely on which to concentrate. There’s almost a conflict between the mysterious and the catchy as it plows onward. You can focus on one aspect (the riff, the chords, the vocals), and you’ll go through something new every time. Or you can try to let it all hit you and maybe you’ll feel every feeling all at once. The whole thing is coated in this ghostly glow of reverb, preserving something of a timelessness in their tone. It’s a solid formula, executed by some people who clearly know what they’re doing.
BOMBZ play an EP release/art exhibit called BOMBZFEST on Saturday, July 15 @ Room 17 (345 Maujer Street), Brooklyn.
