Bombshell Rocks – Scars And Tattoos

Almost a full decade after the release of their last full length, The Conclusion, Bombshell Rocks return with a 2 song 7″ release. It is a great reintroduction to the group that served as a worthy Swedish street punk counterpart to America’s Rancid.

For those who are too young to have experienced the group in the heyday of Swedish punk rock label Burning Heart Records, this is a good starting point. Right from the sexy tattoo art of the album sleeve, Bombshell Rocks proudly wears their heritage with pride. 

The title track on Side A is a fast dose of street punk that will sound familiar to Hellcat Records fans. It is vaguely reminiscent of Journey to the End of the East Bay, but the quality is strong enough that it shouldn’t be dismissed as a rip off. Bombshell Rocks are back with a vengeance, reminding listeners why Sweden is one of the most hallowed places in punk rock history and that Refused have worthy company. At a time when punk bands from the 90s are enjoying a strong resurgence in Europe, partially thanks to passionate fans and massive festivals that are almost  nonexistent in North America, Scars and Tattoos is a fun sing along throwback to a time when the scene was exploding, Warped Tour actually featured punk bands, and Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph and Burning Heart were the labels of choice for a legion of teenage punks. The flip side is Looking For a Hero, which slows things down a little bit with an almost ska swagger, complete with a catchy sing along chorus full of angst and an exciting guitar solo. 

This isn’t a groundbreaking sound coming out of left field. Bombshell Rocks play the same great music that they always played, complete with whoa ohs, familiar lyrics (suburbia is burning) and all of the things that made so many fall in love with punk music in the first place. The recording is a little less gritty than some of their earlier work, but this only serves to add to the quality of the music. This isn’t a band who have went mainstream with their sound, instead they exhibit maturation from the scrappy street punk that they sang in the days of The Will, The Message. Recording improvements and years of honing their craft have done nothing but improve the familiar Bombshell Rocks sound. They’ve reunited the original lineup to play a few live shows and record this 7″, which is hopefully a tease at a full length and full world tour to come.