Bozeman Magazine

Beach Bear Radio and Montana Booking Agency present: Meatbodies w/ support TBA The Covellite Theatre October 15, 2024 Doors: 6PM | Show: 7PM "And so here we are, with Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom, an album completed by an ironclad will and steely determination. It’s also Meatbodies’ most ambitious, varied, and realized record to date—and possibly their finest hour. A massive step forward, both by conventional standards and considering its tumultuous path toward completion, the album is finally set for release on March 8, 2024 via In the Red Records. The LP recalls the searing Blue Cheer-meets-Iggy Pop-with-psychedelia that permeated previous releases, but adds new elements of shoegaze, classic alternative, Britpop, drone, and hints of country—blazing trails without ever sounding forced or alien. Simultaneously an ode to ’80s Los Angeles punk and the rise of indie/alternative music in the U.K., Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom plays like a radio station broadcasting from the void, with a cosmic playlist of early Pink Floyd, Ramones, Roky Erickson, Kinks, and Spacemen 3. And while those names may seem outwardly disparate, Ubovich crafts a distinctively Meatbodies arc among the songs, creating an eclectic and unmistakably cohesive piece of work in total. It all adds up to an effort that shows strength in its diversity, which is only secondary to its impeccable songwriting. "Besides the obvious themes of redemption, reinvention and resurrection that not only accompany the record, but its production as well, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom examines themes surrounding love and loss, escapism, defeatism, hedonism, psychedelics and much more. “The last record was more of a cartoon version of who we were– simple and fun without delving into heavy concepts,” recalls Ubovich. "The whole thing before with Meatbodies was never sit down, next part, next part, but I wanted to make something with more depth. After everything that had happened, and my personal life, I was left with this feeling of emptiness and loss. So I wanted to make music that was absent from things– songs that were more about conveying feeling.”