Bloom “The Light We Chase” Album Review
Sydney's own melodic hardcore outfit Bloom are excited to announce their sophomore album ‘The Light We Chase’ which is set to be released on October 31, 2025 via Pure Noise Records. Across 11 tracks ‘The Light We Chase” reflects a period of emotional turmoil, relationship breakdowns, struggles with trust and a wrestling with hopelessness This body of work is the band's most visceral collection to date.
“In many ways, the album is an oxymoron”, drummer Jack Van Vliet shares. “You can’t catch light in your hands, and you can't have darkness without the light casting its shadow. We all have an idea of something perfect. A memory, a vision of the future, a light at the end of the tunnel. The light we chase is that perfection. The sublime. The taste of something good. Our widest exploration of how far metalcore can be pushed and shaped, this album is lyrically diverse as it is instrumentally."
The opening track titled “Belrose” begins with a gentle guitar tune followed by a pure and clean register by lead vocalist Jono Hawkey before progressively leaning into a heavier pace. You can feel the raw emotion in Hawkey’s voice as he discusses themes about longing for the past and going back to happier times during what we can presume is childhood. It has also been shared that Belrose was the name of the group's shared stomping ground so it's clear that this song brings close meaning to those involved in the making.
The second track “Forget Me Not” opens with a heavier tone marked by dynamic guitar and drum beats. The lyrics in particular “One day it will slip away, and faces will begin to fade” drill themes of fearing the future and what will become of one's self as well as those around as time passes by. The rumination on time and the past is a feeling most people have experienced and “Forget Me Not” perfectly captures this ominous emotion.
“Out of Reach” almost immediately starts with heavy emotion and a furious tempo. This track demonstrates the devastating fear of never being enough and wanting more than you can reach. “I dream of fulfillment, the taste of something good, I put it on a pedestal, but will it make me full?” Hawkey screams cathartically which hits a home run on bringing across the emotions that have been poured into the making of this album.
The album takes a turn with “Keep You” Ft. Patrick Miranda from the juggernaut ‘Movements’. The catchy tune brings a grungy and garage rock undertone which is vastly different to what we have already heard on the album. This song brings heartache to the table with lyrics like “You haunt everywhere I go”. Being able to connect with music is extremely important and boy did they capture melancholy in the right way. This one is definitely one I hope to hear on the radio.
Up next is “Glen Street”. This is undoubtedly the most emotionally charged song on the album, laden with a strong romanticism of the past and the reality of loss. “I wish I hated you, I wish we never met” is a line both Hawkey and ourselves can sit and scream together in the car or even in the pit. With lyrics hitting as hard as this, the encapsulation of themes of grief and loss are beautifully encapsulated.
The epicentre of the album “Life Moves On Without Us” creates a powerful, raw and surging force you can feel from the first few notes. The group has noted this song as “A title track in every way but the title itself”. The turbulent emotions associated with “Life moving on without me” bring a certain type of yearning to what could have been but also yearning for something that might not even exist yet.
“Act II” Ft. Jack Bergin of Australia’s own ‘Void Of Vision’ brings a rough and thunderous sensation to the ear drums. This track battles with the themes of envy - “In the shadow of you I’m desperate to be like you”. The jarring harmonies express resentment and the bitter, unstable feelings associated with this. The track comes to a close with the guttural screams brought by Bergin which can only be described as the final bits of which really is the icing on the cake for this jagged, heavy belter of a song.
“Withered”. The first single and the heaviest song written so far brings vulnerability; specifically about making sacrifices. We get to take a peak behind the scenes about being in a band, wondering if it’s worth it and if it’s worth the risk. This is not the band’s first emotionally vulnerable song but it is the first one that is band specific, a self reflection on being an artist. “Was my dream worthless?” peels back the curtain into the feelings of despair and hopelessness the group hoped to express to those who may not know a great deal about them. This song may have been written for us but undoubtedly was for them too.
The ninth song on the album “Only Sky” is another unshielded track, bringing a concept of feeling alone and the fear of missing out: “This train has left the station, Is it ever coming back?”. There is a looped sense of despair following "Withered” and it seems to be one of the main themes we continue to see throughout ‘The Light We Chase’.
The penultimate track "Tongue Tied” Ft. Mikaila Delgado from Australia’s Yours Truly shows acoustic tenderness and is an emotionally charged duet between guitarist Jarod McLaren and the hauntingly beautiful voice of Mikaila Delgado. Both voices compliment each other and pull on the heart strings. The tender track explores relationship breakdowns, misunderstandings and being scared to open up and speak your mind.
And finally the closing track “Show Me Who I Am” shapeshifts between alt-rock riffs, mesmerising harmonies and grunge elements with an outro that burrows into your soul. “Take me by the hand, Show me who I am” sung by Hawkey brings a somber feeling that only feels right to close this chapter of their discography.
‘The Light We Chase’ is beyond question the group's most vulnerable and emotionally charged album to date. Across these 11 tracks we don't just get a peak behind the curtain, we get tangled up and immersed in it. From the first time I saw the group open for Bad Omens in 2023, you can see, feel and hear the progression. I for one am excited to see where they go from here.
The Light We Chase out on October 31 via Pure Noise Records