No Breakfast Goodbye / Ink Bomb – Split CD (Horn & Hoof Records / Concrete Head Records / Dental Records)

Today, I would like to introduce two outstanding bands that recently released a highly anticipated split album on both vinyl and compact disc. It’s a split release between No Breakfast Goodbye and Ink Bomb, two melodic punk rock bands emanating from the Netherlands. At first, I wasn’t familiar with No Breakfast Goodbye, but luckily this split release came a couple of days ago, so I fixed that mistake. Ink Bomb are not a strangers to these pages and I had a chance to review their debut full-length Fiction nearly two years ago. However, the fact that admirers of melodic punk rock awaited this recording with anticipation says a lot about the quality of both bands. This is the real deal from scratch to finish.

Both bands are present with three compositions. Ink Bomb are offering numbers such as Mutilation Boy, Dorothy Enters Technicolor, and Turn It Around, while No Breakfast Goodbye are offering tunes like No Dice, The Losers Club, and Fisherman’s Friend. Ink Bomb commences with Mutilation Boy. I must admit I fell in love with this tune as soon as they started promoting it over social media. This particular number contains some strange but ear-appealing dynamics that perfectly match the sonic aesthetics of this brilliant band. Their sound unquestionably advanced since they released Fiction, a full-length I mention before. Ink Bomb introduced reasonable dosages of melodic hardcore into their music, but their music remains loyal to the nineties melodic punk rock sound. Still, these interventions of melodic hardcore are subtle, so they’re not spoiling their punk rock base. Perhaps Dorothy Enters Technicolor and Turn It Around are much calmer than Mutilation Boy, but both compositions are equally brilliant in terms of melodics, harmonies, thematics, technicalities, and dynamics. Ink Bomb did an incredible job with their part of the split release.

No Breakfast Goodbye nurtures a more skate punk approach than Ink Bomb, but besides the vividly hearable nineties skate punk base, you may also notice an involvement of contemporary punk rock sound. The opening track, No Dice, is a perfect example of their style. It contains the speed, energy, and dynamics of skate punk, but also leans towards modern melodic punk rock during the verses. However, the band speeds up during the choruses and demonstrates ultimate power at the very end of this number. The Losers Club continues in moderate tempo, decorated with powerful pop-punk melodies. It comes as a more than necessary break from the hasty dynamics of the previous tune, but it contains a lot of energy for a slower song. It’s good to mention that singalongs are doing wonders in this number. Fisherman’s Friend continues in a similar tempo as the previous tune, but this particular compositon contains even more guitar maneuvers than The Losers Club. No Breakfast Goodbye pays a lot of attention to arrangements, so even their most simplified tunes are technically demanding enough to entertain you for a while.

Both bands shine bright throughout the entire split material, and I cannot pick my favorite one because both are equally good. Both groups serve more than enough melodic/harmonious structures and technicalities to satisfy your demand for perfectly executed melodic punk rock. As I mentioned before, this split material comes on vinyl and a compact disc. You can purchase directly from the bands, or you can check out the labels who collaborated on this release, such as Horn & Hoof Records, Concrete Head Records, and Dental Records. Don’t miss this one!