The Nijmegen-based punk band Ink Bomb is releasing its new single ‘Rome Is Burning (again)’ today. This release is accompanied by an energetic music video, featuring unique footage of a live performance, studio recordings and adventures on the road.
With tracks like ‘Human Remains’ and ‘Frankenstein’, Ink Bomb was already experimenting with indie and grunge on their latest album, ‘Saudade’ (2024). The band continues down this path with their new single, ‘Rome Is Burning (again)’, making them sound even more catchy. Because Ink Bomb took their time with the writing and pre-production, the single sounds tighter and warmer than before.
The song is less politically charged than you might expect based on its apocalyptic title. Singer Joost Hoedemaeckers explains: “It’s actually about the destruction of a relationship, the embers of which are still smoldering. A relationship that, just like the Roman Empire, never seemed like it would fall.”
Ink Bomb will release two more new songs this year with a similar sound, which together form a trilogy. Each song will have a B-side, allowing the band to spotlight lesser-known but matching tracks that deserve much more attention. For ‘Rome Is Burning (again)’, this is the raw, trash-metal-style song ‘Rerun’, taken from their debut album ‘Fiction’ (2019).
The drums were recorded by Martin Kuijpers of MK Music Productions. As always, guitarist Quirijn Foeken of Fiction Studio handled all other recordings and the mix, while Ivo Statinski took care of the mastering. The accompanying music video features footage from a recent performance at Willemeen in Arnhem, filmed by Edwin Willemsen.