Blowfuse – Daily Ritual LP (Various Labels)

Today, I would like to talk a little bit more about Daily Ritual by Blowfuse. For those who might not know, Blowfuse is an insanely good Spanish punk rock group emanating from Barcelona. The group started its musical endeavors as Godfarts but changed its name into Blowfuse sometime in 2013, with the appearance of their debut full-length. Daily Ritual is their third and most advanced full-length recording, released in 2019 by Disconnect Disconnect Records, Morning Wood Records, Paper+Plastick Records, Long Beach Records, HFMN Records, Epidemic Records, Infected Records, and Melodic Punk Style. Besides the beforementioned recording, Blowfuse also released two full-lengths, such as Into The Spiral and Couch. At the time when the group released Daily Ritual, I was fully aware of this album but somehow missed the opportunity to write an article about it, so here’s a more than appropriate time to give it a proper review.

Daily Ritual carries eleven energetic melodic punk rock compositions, decorated with many sonic delicacies that are striking the listening apparatus from all the possible directions. Perhaps Blowfuse appears as a modern skate punk outlet, but their music unveils so many details as you dig deeper into this particular material. Besides the dominant presence of contemporary skate punk sound, the group embraces old school hardcore, classic nineties punk rock, and funk under their branches. Blowfuse fuses profoundly delicate melodies and harmonies with some funky characteristics and accentuations, so their music sounds like nothing you encountered before. At some particular moments, you may hear the strong resemblance with Bad Brains, so that’s where the old school hardcore jumps in the mix. Specific lead vocals, energetic guitar shreds, and particular rhythmic maneuvers reminded me of the well-known debut full-length by the abovementioned band, but perhaps this resemblance is entirely unintentional.

Whatever may be the case, the quality of Daily Ritual is undeniable. Blowfuse invested remarkable ideas, outstanding musicianship, and boundless knowledge into this marvelous recording. We’re dealing with highly experienced musicians who probably spent their lives sweating in the practice rooms and learning all the neat musical technics. You’ll notice how the rhythm section operates as a singular organism. The exceptional drumming performance offers various rhythmic delicacies, while the warm-sounding bass guitar provides more than adequate support to both guitars. The rhythm section carries the powerful groove, which is vividly hearable throughout the entire recording. I adore how the bass guitar is equally polarized with guitars so you can hear all the low-end tones with such ease. The guitars offer various guitar licks through detailed chord progressions, energetic riffages, funky accentuations, and other ear-appealing maneuvers. Alongside quite characteristic vocal performance, Blowfuse provides an entirely different perspective on skate punk music.

Daily Ritual comes on a vinyl record, backed up by meaningful cover artwork. This particular record looks equally good as it sounds. The album is available at Disconnect Disconnect Records, Morning Wood Records, Paper+Plastick Records, Long Beach Records, HFMN Records, Epidemic Records, Infected Records, and Melodic Punk Style. Please visit your preferred record label and grab this tremendous album.