New Bruises

With their full-length album Transmit Transmit, New Bruises seemed like they promised to be a wonderful followup (or replacement) to Latterman and the void they left. But New Bruises are much more than that, and this four-song followup to their debut full-length goes a long way in proving that the Tampa Bay group is much more than the latest band citing Gainesville as their Mecca.

Then again, there is no denying that the band is the product of Florida. There’s a lot of Hot Water Music, J-Church and even some Less Than Jake floating around in these songs.

The 7” kicks off with “Holding Pattern,” which doesn’t do a whole lot to sway people away from the “They sound too much like Latterman” camp, but fuck it, Latterman isn't making music anymore, and “Holding Pattern” is as catchy, melodic and rough around the edges as I want a song to be. The second side leads off with a song called, “God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut (And So It Goes),” which, besides being a great tune in its own right, would have had my thumbs up anyhow. The 7” doesn’t change things up much, nor should it. The rest of the songs follow suit as vocalist Bryon Lippincott sings the band through fun, youthful and energetic songs that aren’t hesitant to sing about looking forward to brighter things.

New Bruises don’t need to prove themselves as standout artists in particular post-punk scene, but this 7” sure has gotten one reviewer excited for another full-length.