This week, Greg Norton (of Hüsker Dü fame) and UltraBomb return with their latest album The Bridges That We Burn via DC-Jam Records / Virgin Music Group. It marks a new chapter for the group as singer/guitarist Ryan Smith (Soul Asylum, The Melismatics) and drummer Derek O’Brien (Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Adolescents) now round out the trio. You can read Alex’s review of the album here and revisit my 2024 interview with Norton here.
For the latest entry in our SWT Interviews video series, I interviewed Norton and Smith about their journey making the album. They explain why the band’s lineup changed, and how they found instant chemistry in their first performances together. They also discuss the decision to keep the band name, the evolution of their sound, and their more collaborative and efficient songwriting process. In addition, Norton and Smith explored their artistic philosophy of moving forward rather than recreating the past, the importance of political and social commentary in their lyrics, and their extensive touring plans to support the new record.
You can watch the interview on our YouTube page and recent music videos below:
For more music from the band, check out their Linktree, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. Find out when they’re on tour via their Bandsintown page. And check out their socials: Instagram, Facebook.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
