^{Words by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)}

Australia’s Bloom have been making a name for themselves since they burst on the scene. With their debut album Maybe In Another Life still a regular spin amongst melodic hardcore fans, the band have announced they will be following it up with their sophomore album, The Light We Chase.

Dropping on October 31st through Pure Noise Records, the album  reflects a period of emotional turmoil; themes relationship breakdowns, struggles with trust, and wrestling with hopelessness.

“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.”

To give us a sneak peak on what is to come, the Sydney melodic hardcore act have released the single ‘Withered’. One of their most raw and visceral releases to date, Van Vliet  also says,

“In anything that we do throughout our lives there is a question of worth. Was this relationship worth it? Is my career everything I thought it would be? Is the life I’m living worth all the things I’ve gone through? ‘Withered’ tackles this question with unflinching honesty, and how the light we chase can be the path to our own ‘desolation.’ In ‘Withered’ the present is bleak, and grief forces us to wonder if ‘I didn’t hope hard enough’ for the life we dreamed of. The frankness of the song repeats itself as ‘Eight years of my life, dedicated/desolated’ repeats like a mantra for all the things that have been lost, over the heaviest hitting, most distorted, soul wrenching instrumentals over the entire record. The song slows into desperation as Bloom becomes ‘Withered’, continuing the oxymoron trope that has been used throughout the record, and corrupting whatever hope had been scattered through the record so far.”

Aussie Fans will have plenty of chances to catch Bloom in September before their album drops. Embarking on their Withered Across Australia tour, heading to Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney with supports from Inertia and Post Heaven. Tickets are selling fast for all shows, so don’t miss your chance to catch Bloom live in action!

_{Tickets are on sale now, to purchase click here.}

For those a little further away, fans in the UK / EU can catch Bloom on tour with Thornhill and Ocean Grove starting on October 17th. After that the band will be supporting Silverstein in North America on the 25 Years of Noise Tour, also featuring Thursday and Free Throw.

_{To pre-save The Light We Chase, click here.}

_{To stream ‘Withered‘, click here or watch the video below.}