“There is a lot of noise to keep us distracted. Everyone has an opinion, informed, and not informed. I’m at capacity with all the bs, let’s start real conversations.” — Greg Norton
There’s your manifesto, then.
2026 is not exactly short of noise. Most of it is empty, most of it is angry, and most of it is designed to keep everyone shouting into the void while absolutely nothing gets better. So if Ultrabomb’s “The Bridges That We Burn” comes armed with frustration, hooks, melody, spite, wit and a very clear sense that they have had enough, then frankly, good. Someone had to.
We’ve reviewed a couple of Ultrabomb records on these pages before, but this time the personnel has shifted. Greg Norton – yes, Hüsker Dü’s Greg Norton – is still here on bass and backing vocals, but now he’s joined by Derek O’Brien of Social Distortion, Agent Orange and Adolescents on drums, and Ryan Smith of Soul Asylum on lead vocals and guitar. That’s a hell of a CV between three people, but the key thing about “The Bridges That We Burn” is that it never feels like a heritage act or a bunch of veterans dusting off the old tricks. It feels alive.
“Darwin Awards” sets the tone, and if “bad choices make good stories” isn’t one of the lines of 2026, then I’d like to see the shortlist. It is funny, sharp, catchy as hell and full of the kind of gallows humour that only works when the band behind it can make the thing move.
“Divert/Deflect” is even better, not least because the guitar work is sensational. There’s sloganeering here, of course there is, but it never becomes the whole point. Ultrabomb understand that if you’re going to shout about the state of things, you might as well have riffs worth shouting over.
That’s where “Artificial Stars” really clicks. There’s a gift for melody here, a sense of craft that elevates the whole thing. It has a mid-90s flavour in places, maybe a little Therapy? in the angles, but it is never difficult for the sake of it. It is accessible, immediate, and absolutely built to stick.
“Zombie Zeroes” does exactly that too. It is ridiculously catchy, one of those songs that seems to have worked out the fastest route into your head and taken it without asking. “No Cap” follows with what feels like a uniquely American sound, but one that lands completely naturally. Nothing is forced. Nothing is trying too hard. It just works.
And this new line-up does change the feel a little. “Sicko Rants” has more of a Replacements thing going on, ragged at the edges but melodic where it matters, and there’s still that slight Celtic touch bubbling underneath, just enough to make it feel like Ultrabomb rather than merely another punk-adjacent record with good references.
“Checked Out” is like a sugar rush, hooks coming and going in a blur, while “Look Forward In Anger” – great title, by the way – is anchored by Norton’s bass, the whole thing given a spine that keeps it from flying off into chaos. And then “BSS” pretty much does fly off into chaos anyway, wonderfully so. It’s unhinged, somewhere between Ween and Sparks if they’d been locked in a room with too much caffeine and a stack of punk records.
“Last Time” keeps finding things to admire. Everywhere you look, there’s some little moment: a line, a guitar phrase, a backing vocal, a shift in the rhythm. Then “Mosquito Crucifixion” signs off with “you’re going to die cos you act so dumb,” which pretty much sums up the whole thing: sharp, funny, furious, and wonderful.
The cast might have changed here, and as any sports fan knows, it’s hard to integrate new signings. Ask my lot after the shambles this winter. But with “The Bridges That We Burn”, Ultrabomb haven’t just settled quickly. They’ve exploded.
This might be the best thing they’ve ever done.
RATING 8.5/10
