Rather shockingly I can’t say that I’d heard all that much of Bomb The Music Industry before this release. They were actually a band I’d only heard of because of Quote UnQuote Records’ bid to become the first donation-only label. With more bands signing up to major labels from ‘our’ scene, it’s quite refreshing for a band to turn the music business model on its head and do things in a completely different way. The cynics among us may argue it’s a very clever marketing ploy – after all, there’s been a lot written about BTMI – but at the end of the day it all comes down to the quality of the music, and this lot are impressive in that respect.
This album is available for free on MP3 and super cheap on Banquet Records. It’s worth getting both. There’s a heavy punk rock-with-ska sound that doesn’t lend itself to the band either being branded punk or ska; they’re both, don’t forget it. There’s also a delectible slice of electronica in the form of organs, keys and everything else the band can find to throw into the meting pot. It’s interesting, energetic and riveting. It almost shouldn’t work – and I guess at times it probably doesn’t work (‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ is just a bit too weird) – but with so much fun bundled up into one album it becomes almost impossible not to like. Worth checking out because it’s free, chances are you’ll like this even if you don’t really expect to.