Review: Title by The Sonder Bombs
By Sophie Minello
A record label, a new bassist, a debut album. The Sonder Bombs — consisting of Willow Hawks as vocalist and ukulele, Jimmy Wilkens a guitarist, Eric Heald as drummer, and Kevin Cappy as bassist — have taken big steps this year, all of which are extremely thrilling. This week, they announced their debut album Modern Female Rockstar which will be out on Take This To Heart Records on October 12, 2018. Along with this exciting news, the first single from the album, “Title”, is up on all streaming services. This song is immediately captivating as frontwoman Willow Hawks strongly sings “I don’t wanna be your merch girl / I wanna be your goddamn idol / and I don’t wanna work twice as hard / for the same motherfucking title.” With the name of the album and the lyrics of the single, it seems this album is centered around empowering females in the industry, especially females in the pop punk scene (or uke punk, in the Sonder Bombs’ case). The 4-piece constantly shows how fun punk music can also be socially aware, as their single “Switzerland” touched upon the 2016 presidential election. This band is definitely going to take over the world. In all their releases, the Sonder Bombs sound is distinctly recognizable and hard not to fall head over heels for. With classic pop punk arrangements of electric guitars and full drum kits, they find a way to make the genre their own. Hawks voice is a unique and powerful thing, especially with her ability to sing in a delicate tone one moment and yell in another.
Along with the release of an album, the Sonder Bombs embark on a small run of shows in October. Speaking from experience, you’ll be super bummed if you miss them, so be there!
W/ Pale Lungs & Runaway Brother
10/5 - PGH @ Black Forge Coffee
10/6 - CLE @ Mahall’s
10/7 - Indianapolis @ The Pit
Signals Midwest 10 year anniversary show
10/12 - CLE @ The Grog Shop
W/ Halogens
10/25 - Philly PA @ The Hot House
10/26 - Asbury Park NJ @ Asbury Brewery
10/27 - Allston MA@ Ted House
10/29 - Amityville Ny@ Amityville Music Hall