Bomba X – Cero Coma (3 Caires Discos)
LP | DL
Out Now
The second album from Mallorcan punk rockers Bomba X is a fitting follow up to their 2023 debut, delivering more punchy melodic anthemic punk with a social message. FFO The Clash, Toxic Reasons and HDQ.
As a reminder, Bomba X from Mallorca are punk and hardcore scene veterans. Among their number they have ex-members of Spanish bands Oi The Arrase, Aspirina Infantile along with Fun People (Argentina) and the UK hardcore band Older Than Dirt.
The mid-paced driving approach of the opening songs have the same melodic rockin’ punk approach of 80s faves Toxic Reasons and HDQ, with neat little solos, solid drumming and some cool bass lines while backing melodies accentuate the lead vocals. No Lo Entiendo points to the distraction of TV light entertainment broadcast alongside the news of bombs falling on civilians. Along with follow up tune, Caunto Tiempo, this is singalong stuff even if (like this embarrassing monoglot) you can’t actually sing along because you don’t speak Spanish. The next couple of tunes, Idiota and Paranoia, speed things up a bit with offbeat upstrokes giving this a touch of a Clash/Rancid feel. No need for a translation of the song titles, but Idiota specifically focuses on people who stupidly vote for populists against their own interest – a current global phenomenon which ties in with the cover art.
Reis Del Mon (King Of The World) slows a little and the heavy, brooding verses driven by a rumbling rhythm section fit the messaging about the growth of fascism. It’s not far off the sound DOA achieved for their collaboration with Jello Biafra, and something about the earthy guitar tone and the raw vocal takes me back to Dee Dee Ramone’s solo work. This one is sung in Mallorcan, a language similar to Catalan and according to bassist Paul, locals claim is an older language.
Kicking off Side B, things get motoring for Tu which is a straight up fast punk tune that sounds like a song of the class of 77. Both this and the follow up song, Sin Solucion, are fast and punchy with the snotty attack of the Dead Boys. Tu started life as a cover of a song Sick On Me by The Lobots but Bomba X have changed the words. Lobots were a 1977 gang of 14 year olds from Winchester including Paul’s brother, but it wasn’t his idea to lift the song. Both songs look at the darker side of people: violence and mental health problems.
The anthemic sound of El Sistema has the punchy drums, chugging guitars and anthemic uplifting sound The Clash achieved on songs like Tommy Gun and Safe European Home. It’s a cover of a band from Argentina called Inseperables that Bomba X drummer Gato played in, and is about one of many uprisings in Argentina. Descontrol has a similar theme of embracing chaos and going with the moment in another rocky hardcore tune led by melodic guitar lines.
Venganza closes the album and begins way more melodic and subdued than the rest of the album, seeming to build up as the song progresses. The spirited shouty vocal delivery plays off against the melody to give this an angry feel which fits the dark subject matter. It’s a tale of someone sexually abused as a child, developing mental health and substance abuse problems then plotting revenge against his abusers.
As with their debut, Bomba X have a solid punk rock grounding that draws on a range of influences, and looking back on my review of that album I can see some recurring themes. With a solid history of playing in other bands, the good stuff seeps out of their pores. If you like your punk rock punchy yet melodic this is for you.
Links
Also available for download from Subvert
Distribution by Metadona Records
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All words by Nathan Brown. You can read more from Nathan on his Louder Than War archive over here.
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