France knows how to do wine, cheese – and apparently, full-throttle stoner punk, too. With Bronca, the band from La Fare Les Oliviers delivers a tight, ten-track album that sounds like a wild road trip through fuzz, fire, and pure DIY spirit. If you’ve seen them live – like at the Rising Dead Boys Festival in September 2024 – you know: these guys don’t play shows, they throw musical punches with a smile.
The album kicks off with "Broken Nose", setting a gritty tone that persists throughout. The opener "Broken Nose" sets the tone right: no frills, just riffs that hit like a steel boot. "Living In a Lie" keeps the momentum high, mixing sharp energy with raw, almost desperate vocals. It's fast, loud, and totally unapologetic.
"Like a Rooster" is a more grunge-oriented track with a bit of a punky brit-pop chorus. The track is rocking quite forward.
"My Past" offers a more introspective look, with a bit disharmonic, doomy style à la Alice in Chains, while "Warthog" is a solid mid-tempo-rocker which seduces to bang your head and swing the girls´hips.
The band is able to create different moods; the following song "Our Times" sounds a bit dissillusionated and disoriented, wrapped in a grunge sound robe. Not my favorite song on this record.
"Something" is a bastard between Hardcore and Stoner, which are my prefered music, so I wonder why the band didn't include a few more songs of this kind on their album. These are the songs the audience keep in their mind; fast, catchy and melodic.
With the song "The Tide," it would have been better to end it after three minutes, rather than unnecessarily prolonging the feeling of the devastating tide. The first three minutes are extremely heavy and groovy.
"Veins" comes over like a 90´s melodic punk rock song, very poppy and heavy. Great song.
"The Gathering" is actually the best song on their record. It combines the essential mentioned parts of 90´s rock for the first 3 minutes in a kind of power ballad, before unleashing all power of
the band for closing the album with a powerful finish.
What really sells this album, besides the music, is the band itself. The guys are experienced, humble, and seriously cool. They've been playing music for a long time, and you can hear it in every
note. No ego, no fake rock star posing – just honest noise and big hearts.
BRONCA is not just a record – it’s a sweaty handshake and a beer in the sun. Pure, loud, and lovable.
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