Album Review: 3 New 3 Old by Newtron Bomb

Newtron Bomb are a three-piece skacore band from British Columbia, Canada. On New Years Day they released a new EP featuring three recent recordings and three from their album recording session in 2014. Ingeniously, it's titled 3 New 3 Old.

Tossin' n Turnin' is the name of the opening song. The verses are played in a ska pop style and I instantly think of Madness; it's upbeat, lively and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Then the chorus hits and we're treated to some super fast punk rock. These two styles are both ridiculously fun and will go down brilliantly with a live crowd. The second song is called Disposable and is a song about how throw-away music has become. Lyrically the song dissects the atoms of a song - for example the chorus goes "This Will Be The Chorus, This Will Be The Chorus, This Will Be The Chorus Yeah Baby!" I'm sure Newtron Bomb aren't the first band to write a song like this, but they've managed to make it very entertaining. Time Is Today is another song that switches between ska and punk rock music but this time the ska has a more serious and less bouncy feel to it. The chorus goes at 100mph as the singer shouts out "I Don't Know What The Time Is, I Don't Got The Fucking Time, I Don't Know What It Is Today". As you might guess the song is about not knowing what the time is when somebody asks you - an interesting and different topic for a song.

Dynamite is the first of the three older songs on the EP. At just over four minutes long this is comfortably the longest track featured and is also one of the best. I love the use of upbeat ska guitars being accompanied by some tortured, angsty vocals - the contrast creates a unique and interesting sound. Of course they follow the formula of all their songs so far by picking up the pace for the chorus and there is a fantastic break down with a spectacular guitar solo. The fifth track is named Rising Up and it features quite a long introduction including some fast guitar chords and some pounding drums. Then the vocals begin and we go back to the poppy ska verse and fast punk rock chorus. Despite always following this same formula with their songs they always manage to make each song different, which is a testament to Newtron Bombs song writing ability. 3 New 3 Old is concluded with a song called Pissin' Rain. I liked the upbeat, positive nature of this song. It's basically about thinking that no matter how bad your day is going you know that everything will eventually be alright.

3 New 3 Old is a great introduction for new listeners of Newtron Bomb. It gives you a feel of how they started and a great taster of what's to come in the future.

Stream and download 3 New 3 Old here: https://newtronbomb.bandcamp.com/

Like Newtron Bomb here: https://www.facebook.com/newtronbombband