Sydney’s melodic hardcore powerhouse Bloom have unleashed their brand new album The Light We Chase — and it’s an absolute gut punch in the best way possible. Out now via Pure Noise Records, the record captures everything we’ve come to love about Bloom: soaring emotion, brutal honesty, and enough riffs to rattle your bones. But this time, there’s something even deeper bubbling underneath — a push-and-pull between beauty and pain that feels almost cinematic.
From the opening moments, The Light We Chase throws you straight into a whirlwind of catharsis. It’s raw, layered, and full of emotional contradictions — which is exactly what drummer Jack Van Vliet meant when he called the album “an oxymoron.” You can’t catch light in your hands, and you can’t have darkness without it, right? That’s the space Bloom live in. Every song feels like they’re trying to grab hold of something just out of reach — love, peace, clarity — and somehow turning that struggle into something transcendent.
If you’ve already heard singles like “Out Of Reach,” “Tongue Tied,” and “Withered,” you’ll know what kind of emotional storm you’re in for. But the full record takes things even further, twisting between haunting vulnerability and punishing heaviness. And then there’s the brand new track “Keep You” featuring Movements’ Patrick Miranda — a melodic gut punch that bridges Bloom’s world with one of the genre’s greats. The music video’s out now too, and it’s every bit as intense as you’d hope.
The album itself was crafted in just a few short weeks alongside producer Sam Bassal (Ocean Grove, Void Of Vision, Thornhill), which makes its detail and emotional scope even more impressive. And for longtime fans, this record feels like the moment Bloom truly arrive — polished but still bleeding. It’s also their first full-length release on Pure Noise Records, a label home to some of the biggest names in modern heavy music, so you know they’re in good company.
Lyrically, it’s all heartbreak, nostalgia, and the messiness that comes with growing up and trying to hold onto hope when everything feels like it’s slipping away. Whether it’s the crushing despair of “Forget Me Not,” the bittersweet ache of “Glen Street,” or the reflective haze of “Keep You,” there’s a sense of growth and vulnerability running through every line. And with guest appearances from the likes of Jack Bergin (Void Of Vision) and Mikaila Delgado (Yours Truly), it’s clear Bloom wanted this one to feel like a community effort — a snapshot of where they are and how far they’ve come.
If you’re lucky enough to catch them live, Bloom are currently tearing through Europe and the UK with Thornhill and Ocean Grove before heading to North America with Silverstein, Thursday, and Free Throw. They’ll even make their U.S. headline debut in Chicago on November 13th!
This record feels like the sound of a band not just chasing the light, but finally catching it — if only for a second.
