Chasing the Light: Bloom’s Journey from Sydney Suburbs to Global Stages
Bloom – Photo Credit: Jack Fontes
Chasing the Light: Bloom’s Journey from Sydney Suburbs to Global Stages
Eight years in, Sydney’s Bloom are no longer the underdogs of Australia’s heavy music scene—they’re carving out their own place among the genre’s greats. Featuring vocalist Jono Hawkey, guitarists Jarod McLaren and Oliver Butler, bassist Andrew Martin, and drummer Jack Van Vliet, the band has taken their deeply personal stories of nostalgia, sacrifice, and growth to audiences across the world. With their new album The Light We Chase out now on Pure Noise Records, Bloom are fresh off a European run with Thornhill and Ocean Grove, and now touring North America with Silverstein and Thursday. Jono sat down to talk about the memories that shaped the record, the collaborations that elevated it, and the excitement of bringing Bloom’s most confident work yet to fans everywhere.
Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Bloom, and how long the band has been together.
What’s up? My name is Jono, and I sing in Bloom. We’ve been a band for about eight years now.
Is there an overall story or concept behind the album title The Light We Chase?
The album originally started as a concept—a love letter to our shared upbringing. We all grew up in the same suburb on the northern beaches of Sydney, a place called Belrose. When we began writing our second album, we wanted it to be a nod to that shared youth experience, the nostalgia, and that warm light you associate with memories. As the concept developed, The Light We Chase also came to represent the things in front of you that you’re always striving for—whether in your personal life or, for us, as a band.
Your song “Withered” was the first taste fans got of the new record. Why did you choose that track to introduce the album, and what story does it tell?
“Withered” is a very raw and confronting song for us. It’s about how being in a band is incredible—we’re fortunate to do what we do—but it comes with sacrifices. There’s the time away from partners, the financial strain, and the commitments that don’t often get spoken about. That’s why we wanted to lead with it: it’s one of the most emotionally raw songs on the album. From a sonic standpoint, it’s also one of the heaviest tracks we’ve ever written, so it felt exciting to put something out that was a little different from anything we’d released before.
The Light We Chase by Bloom
“Keep You” is a stunning song featuring Pat Miranda of Movements. How did Patrick become involved, and what inspired the track?
That feature was really special. The working title for the song was “Daylily,” which is actually a Movements track, so it was almost written with Pat in mind. Early in the recording process, we told our label we wanted guest features, and our dream was to have Pat on Keep You. They pulled a few strings, and within days we were texting back and forth with him. He came in, wrote his part, and added his own flair—it elevated the song to another level. Stylistically, it’s different from much of the record. It has that alternative, emo, post-rock vibe, similar to “You & I” from our last album Maybe in Another Life. That’s a sound we all love outside of heavy music, so it was cool to bring it into the fold.
Void of Vision recently played their final shows in Australia, and I believe you were part of that. What has that band meant to you, and what was it like working with Jack Bergin on “Act II”?
Void of Vision has meant a lot to me. I grew up going to their shows—seeing them play youth centers to 30 or 100 people. As Bloom developed, we were lucky enough to tour with them a couple of times, and we even played their final show. They went from being a band we looked up to, to people we now consider friends. When we were writing “Act II,” we knew we wanted a feature for the end section. At this point, my relationship with Jack is close enough that I could just text him: “Hey man, we’ve got this song, we’d love to have you on it.” He said absolutely, and the next day he was in the studio with us, writing and recording his part. It was a beautiful full-circle moment—going from idolizing a band to having them as friends and collaborators. It wasn’t transactional; it was just getting your mate on a track because you think they’re awesome.
Where is Glen Street, and what inspired that song?
Like I mentioned earlier, the album is a nod to our shared childhood. Glen Street is a street in Belrose, the suburb where we grew up. There’s a theatre there where we did a lot of performances in high school—vocal ensembles, bands, all sorts of things. We have so many memories tied to that area, and it felt beautiful to bring that into the album. We wanted to reference places that shaped us, really for no one’s benefit but our own. The album is deeply rooted in nostalgia, and for us, nothing is more nostalgic than revisiting exact times and places from our youth. Glen Street is real, it’s personal, and it was special to revisit it in the music.
Compared to your debut Maybe In Another Life, how do you feel Bloom has evolved musically and lyrically on this new release?
I think we’re more confident now. Going into this album, it was our first time working with a different producer since 2019—we’d always worked with the same guy before. This time we teamed up with Sam Bassal, who plays drums in Ocean Grove. He’s produced records for Thornhill, Yours Truly, and even a Void of Vision album, so he’s got a lot of accolades. One of our biggest goals with him was to focus on soundscapes, atmospherics, and the little details that sit behind the core instruments. We wanted to evolve our sound and experiment more. With Maybe In Another Life, we tested the waters and got feedback on what worked and what needed refining. So for album two, we felt confident in our decisions and songwriting. We could spend more time in the studio fine-tuning the textures instead of second-guessing ourselves. The best way I can describe it is: album two is simply a more confident record from us.
Bloom on tour with SIlverstein and Thursday
Speaking of Thornhill and Ocean Grove, you recently toured with them. How has that tour been, and what have been some highlights?
It’s been amazing. Right now we’re in Wolverhampton on show 19 of 20, so we’re at the tail end. Honestly, I can’t compare it to any tour we’ve done before. We’ve toured with Thornhill and Ocean Grove back home in Australia, but traveling 30–35 hours to the other side of the world and sharing a bus together has been really special. There have been so many highs—great conversations, incredible shows, and just being surrounded by such a nurturing, welcoming environment. I don’t think we’ll do another tour this easy for a very long time. There’s no ego, no personality clashes—just friends who want the best for each other. It’s been really special to be part of something like that.
Once you wrap up this tour, you’ll head straight to the U.S. with Silverstein and Thursday. What are you most looking forward to about that run?
It’s going to be exciting. We finish here tomorrow, then fly straight to Chicago for our first U.S. headliner, which is huge for us. After that, we join Silverstein, Thursday, and Free Throw for five weeks. We toured with Silverstein and Thursday in Europe earlier this year, so it’s nice to be doing it again—there won’t be any first-day nerves since the ice is already broken. Silverstein is such an important band for the kind of music we make, so we’re honored to be part of the tour again. We toured the States once before with Miss May I last October and November, so it’s cool to come back, play new venues, and see different parts of the country. We’re even heading to Canada for the first time. There are a lot of “firsts” on this run—our first snowy Christmas, for one—which we’re really looking forward to.
What were some of the highlights of your first tour in the States? What did you think?
I love American sports, gas stations, fast food—the whole experience. I was just excited to see these things for the first time. Early in the tour, we went to an NFL game and saw the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium. As Australians, we’ve always loved American sports but never had the chance to attend in person, so that was really special. Beyond that, just driving ourselves around and seeing as much of the country as possible was amazing. We came at a great time of year, right as autumn was turning into winter—beautiful trees dropping their leaves, the Pacific Northwest looking incredible. Experiencing all of that for the first time was unforgettable.
What role did Pure Noise Records play in shaping or supporting the vision of The Light We Chase?
They’ve been really good to us. One of the biggest things I have to credit them for is making the Pat Miranda feature on “Keep You” happen. They’ve always offered to help in any way they can, and if we need something, we can reach out and they’ll make it work. They’ve also been instrumental in pushing for us to come back to America and securing touring opportunities. Being part of the Pure Noise roster is special—we’ve idolized that label for a long time. Bands like Counterparts and Knocked Loose are signed there, so it’s really cool to be among some of the greats in metalcore.
Jono Hawkey of Bloom via Zoom!
Australia’s heavy music scene has been thriving. How do you see Bloom’s place within that community?
For a long time, we were almost the underdogs. We opened a lot of tours for bands like Polaris, Alpha Wolf, Thornhill, and Ocean Grove. Now it feels like we’re seen on the same level as some of those bands, which is surreal because they’ve gone from being idols to close friends. One of the best things about the Australian heavy scene is the “rising tide lifts all ships” mentality—everyone wants the best for each other. Breaking out of Australia is tough; touring internationally means 25–30 hour flights. But the community at home is incredibly nurturing, and we’re fortunate to be part of it.
Looking ahead, what do you hope listeners carry with them after experiencing The Light We Chase, both sonically and emotionally?
The record is deeply personal. Lyrically and conceptually, it’s us sharing an upbringing we’ve never really spoken about publicly. Songs like “Withered” talk about the difficulties of being in a band, while tracks like “Glen Street” or “Show Me Who I Am” explore internal emotions and experiences from growing up. We wear our hearts on our sleeves—we value sincerity and earnestness in our music, and I think that’s what people connect with. Sonically, it’s our best work to date. All 11 songs feel strong, and even if someone stumbles across us for the first time, I’m confident they’ll find something they like. The record’s been out for just over a week, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which is exactly what we hoped for.
Do you have any messages for Bloom fans in the States who are about to see you on tour?
Pick up a ticket—we’ll see you in literally a week. We’re playing 45 shows on this run, so be at one of them. Learn the lyrics, sing them back at us, and we’ll see you there.
IN CONCLUSION
As Bloom continue their whirlwind year—bringing The Light We Chase from Sydney’s northern beaches to stages across Europe and North America—the band stand as proof of what sincerity, friendship, and persistence can achieve in heavy music. With their most confident record yet, collaborations that elevate their sound, and tours alongside genre-defining acts, Bloom are no longer chasing the light alone; they’re carrying it with them, inviting fans everywhere to share in the warmth of their journey.
(Interview by Ken Morton)
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