Hardcore band Jivebomb released their debut EP Primitive Desires on October 7 through Flatspot Records. Formed in 2021, Jivebomb is one of the newest Baltimore based bands to gain some traction in the past few months. From other Baltimore artists like End It, Pinkshift, Turnstile, nightlife, BLKVAPOR, Angel Du$t, and Cherie Amour, the Baltimore scene is growing and pushing musical boundaries in various genres and Jivebomb is proof of that.
Flatspot Records, a Baltimore based record label started in 2004, also works with bands like Scowl, Regulate, Buggin, Choice To Make, Speed, Kharma, Zulu, End It, and more.
Chances are if you’ve never heard of Jivebomb but enjoy some of the other Flatspot or Baltimore artists I listed, you’ll enjoy and appreciate Jivebomb.
Primitive Desires is a five track EP clocking in at just under six minutes long. It was recorded with producer Matt Redenbo at J. Robbins’ Magpie Cage studio and was mixed and mastered by Jon Markson (Drug Church, Regulate, Soul Blind).
Though short, Primitive Desires is one of my favorite hardcore releases of the year. This is one of those releases where I just cannot recommend one track, you need to take those few minutes out of your day to listen to the full release. The EP is raw energy and passion that can’t be missed.
Jivebomb will hit the road in a few days for a string of dates with Flatspot labelmates Scowl. Primitive Desires is available now through Flatspot Records.
Read the interview I had with vocalist Kat below where we talk about the debut EP, favorite 2022 music, playing shows, the Baltimore scene, and more!
Hey there! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some of my questions! Huge fan here & congrats on the debut EP release. Take a second and introduce yourself – who is Jivebomb?
Jivebomb is me (Kat) singing, Harper on guitar, Ethan on bass and Mees on drums. Thanks for having us!
Even though you’ve only been a band for a short time, I feel like you’ve had a positive impact on the hardcore scene. The debut EP just came out, take a second to reflect. What does it mean to you all to have this debut EP out?
It’s been a crazy year, feels like it’s been way longer. I think the demo stood out on its own and we’re all very grateful to have been able to put music out through a label after doing everything prior ourselves.
The EP is short but catchy. How might it compare/contrast to the Demo you dropped in 2021?
We definitely locked in our “sound” a bit more with the EP. The demo was so much fun to write and experiment with sounds and through that we found out what was especially fun for us to write/play and I think that shows on the EP.
For the track “Illusion Of Choice” vocalist Kat commented, “It’s just chaos and words that are meant to evoke some sort of feeling or reaction. All in the name of thinking we’ve ever had an original thought or stance. there’s no true normal/right decision-making when the circumstances were not normal or right to begin with.” Is it possible to expand more on this and the song? Does it come from a personal experience or just from observing others?
It doesn’t necessarily come from anything in particular, I wanted to write something catchy and easy to understand. The song itself sounds very chaotic so I wanted to write about chaos in corruption. It’s a very pessimistic outlook on the fact that whatever reaction you have to corruption, there is a premeditated response in place to deal with it. So making the choice to speak up, protest, kill, join in, whatever it may be, has already been accounted for.
But most importantly, shouting a single word or phrase over and over is just fun and mindless.
One of the main things I look at is visuals to accompany the music. Whether that’s a promo photo, a music video, or the EP artwork itself. There’s a video out for the track “Primitive Desires.” What was it like creating this video?
Stressful at first but very quickly became fun. We invited all our friends to show up, set shit on fire and set off fireworks. We kinda just winged it so I’m glad it came out pretty cool cause we didn’t have any actual direction for it prior.
Can you talk about the EP artwork for a second? What is the story behind the artwork and what was the creation process like?
We knew we wanted Tin Savage to do it cause everything he does is so dope, mainly the little demon characters he’s known for. We had a couple vague ideas we listed but told him to just do his thing, whatever he thought would be cool. He mentioned the circus theme in particular was cool out of the list, and ran with that. As per usual he killed it, delivering what is now the EP art.
Comparing your first show as Jivebomb (just over a year ago) to present day, what have you learned about yourselves performing, whether that’s together as a group or individually?
Personally, I’ve learned that I perform better when I’m focused on just us and having fun, which sounds cliche but whatever. Focusing on anything else just fucks up the flow of everything. There have been shows I’ve been anxious at over shit that does not matter, and afterwards I always feel so silly for wasting that time being any less than 100% excited and present.
You all just played Wilkes-Barre, which is (sort-of) my area! I wasn’t able to attend the show but the lineup was solid. If my memory is correct, it was your second time in the Wilkes-Barre area. How was your experience performing this time? Tell us about the show.
It was an interesting show! We did not expect to play so late in the line up, but it was cool. Got to see a bunch of friends and hangout which is always the best part.
For your upcoming shows, especially the shows with Scowl, what are you looking forward to the most? Outside of the shows do you have anything specific you want to see/do?
Definitely just being in new cities is what I’m looking forward to the most. I try to document as much as possible with pictures and videos to look back on. We’re always on the hunt for good vegan food and try to see touristy shit as much as possible.
And the music scene in Baltimore right now looks great! Talk about the scene for a second, hardcore or not. How is it and how has it impacted/motivated/inspired you?
I think it’s great — soo many new bands, and they all vary in style which I love!!! It has motivated me to start playing bass after Jivebomb played a couple shows cause I wanted to start another band and I’m so grateful for that cause I had no idea how much fun playing bass is!!
Flatspot Records is a great label with a ton of other great bands. What bands/albums on the label are you loving right now?
Speed is up there, I really hope to see them live soon. I’ve always enjoyed Regulate and this new record they just put out is cool as hell.
Outside of Flatspot artists and releases, what other 2022 releases are you enjoying?
Puffer demo, High Vis just put out a new record, Syndrome 81 “Prisons Imaginaires” has been on repeat.
If you had to share one last message with us, what would that be?
Thanks for having us!!!
