Sometimes when I look at the UK music scene, I want to shout in despair. The entire industry is stuck on a Brexit Island with arts hating government and no right of movement! We are basically held hostage by radicalized, shady elements who in their crusade against “the woke” decided to destroy all culture and sucked fun out of life for everyone unless you are a far-right gammon.
Our contemporaries in Europe not only move freely from place to place, but they are also setting up their artistic endeavors far away from their countries and they are cherished and welcomed wherever they go! Look at the phenomenal trio Bruce Waves to understand what the United Kingdom has been stripped of.
Album cover
The trio consists of Ana Rita Pinto (vox), André Costa (bass) and Nuno Ribeiro (drums) – all members come from Portugal but are based in Kraków, Poland. The band began in 2021 and since then played regular gigs (lockdown allowing) and appeared on Polish radio and in the papers.
Bruce Wave thrives in a world without borders and has created one of the best records of the previous twelve months: raw, powerful, full of imagination. A decade ago, acts like this would choose London or Manchester as their homebase contributing to local scenes and international reputation, but not anymore. Our failed government thinks more about barricading off and tearing families apart than encouraging creative talents to our shores.
The Polish music scene in the meantime is going through a rock renaissance. Post punk quartet Izzy and The Black Trees and noise rock Trupa Trupa receive critical acclaim, independent festivals such as OFF Fest become one of the most important cultural events in Europe and next year alone Poland will hold a big showcase of its music at ESNS (Focus on Poland) that will include over thirty artists from all musical walks: from classical to jazz and pop.
Listeners in the UK are suffering just as much as the industry. The most ambitious, culturally relevant acts are being refused visas or struggling with the cost of touring/Brexit carnets and even if they come, they may play to small and empty rooms. I mean for an underground band such as Bruce Waves to come in the current climate to play a week-long tour of England would be more expensive than sending them for a cross country Japanese tourne for a month (see budgeting tool here).
I know it has already been said a billion times: the only pledge from Conservative Party manifesto that has been delivered was to make all of us poorer. If you feel like making an act of defiance in this imposed cultural sakoku – then get familiar with art that will enrich you instead. One book, one movie, one record at a time. And you don’t have to look much further than the self-titled album from Bruce Waves to find a gem that represents the best quality of the independent scene.
With eight songs and almost thirty minutes of music, the debut album of Bruce Wave is nothing short of a statement of intent. Here are three musicians who decided to introduce themselves to the world with a proper kick to the teeth. To call them a garage rock band is a disservice. Ana Rita, André and Nuno easily mix genres and influences with a rarely seen mastery. They take the best elements from grunge (“Driving Around”), classic rock (“Hide and Seek”), psychedelia (“Red Light”) and even pop inspired mini compositions (“Intro”). I have to say this one-minute-long entrée to the record is truly fascinating. When was the last time you heard something equally amazing? Stone Roses have “Elizabeth My Dear”, Primal Scream have “Velocity Girl ” and now Bruce Waves added their own prelude (that`s the technical term folks).
Personally, I love “I`ll See You” – the last track on the album for its mesmerizing vocals and manic drive. It is something that Sonic Youth would love to have in their repertoire. And then there is leading single “Here We Stand”, a fitting tribute to The Stooges but also the Seattle pioneers Bam Bam.
The album was mixed and mastered by Jacek Kosiba (Black Palm, Million Much) at Studio Centrum (KAT, ZakoPower) and produced by the bassist André Costa himself. Funny detail about Kosiba – he graduated from Artistic School in Katowice, a town where I also attended university. By his own words he specializes in a vintage production, mostly within rock and hip hop. I may be stretching it a bit here when I say that his style is very Silesian. It’s heavy, industrial, and yet strangely melodic. When I was growing up in the 90s there was this period where all local bands played Britpop and did it better than some of the big bands in the UK. Myslovitz would be the biggest act to emerge from this weird scene but there was a common denominator – the records were produced around Katowice or in the Silesian region and you couldn’t mistake them for anything else. Once you put the record on you knew it was the “Silesian sound”. There is something so familiar in what Jacek Kosiba did for Bruce Waves, I almost feel nostalgic. No, homesick would be a better word. And yes, you can hear the hip hop inspirations too. Sometimes Ana Rita`s voice is front and centre, sometimes it’s subdued and feels like she was recording from the back of the room. It’s something that Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five would experiment with on “The Message”. I am unsure what you call this technique but to hear it on a rock album is quite impressive.
Bruce Waves – the future is so bright you have to wear sunglasses
I also need to give a shout to Nuno Riberio – the superhuman drummer of Bruce Waves. I am pretty sure he is a Marvel hero in disguise. I have never heard a rock band with a stickman of such force and precision. If you are starting as a drummer and want a good point of reference then you can’t do wrong by hearing Nuno Ribeiro play.
All in all, I`m so happy to discover Bruce Waves. This review should have been on the blog in October when it first came out, but since we were moving house, I can only squeeze it in December. But I will not end 2023 without telling everyone that this is one of my records of the year.
You can follow Bruce Waves on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/bruce.waves/
https://www.facebook.com/brucewaves
https://www.youtube.com/@brucewaves
https://soundcloud.com/brucewaves
https://bbrucewaves.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0yE8Xx2P3UgsSIq4Zjw5fv
Additional reading:
https://doomed-nation.com/portuguese-garage-rock-trio-bruce-waves-based-in-poland-released-self-titled-debut-album-and-a-music-video-for-first-single-here-we-stand/
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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