Review: Bones Park Rider

And next up we have the new album from Bones Park Rider titled The Comfort of Nightmares, recorded at Sheffield’s prestigious Mu Studios with producer Martin Gregory Smith, and it captures the band absolutely in their element. After nearly two decades as one of the UK’s most reliable and electrifying underground live acts, this album feels like a confident statement from a band who know exactly who they are and what they want to say.

Things kick off with Poison Garden, which calmly introduces itself before upping the ante with distorted, hanging chords that immediately set the tone. The vocal arrives with real authority, and when the full band crashes in you instantly know you’re in safe hands. There’s a huge blend of influences here, from 70s rock through to modern alternative, stitched together into something that feels epic without being bloated. Think classic Maiden scale with the emotional depth of Pearl Jam. Aggressive, melodic, powerful and utterly spellbinding, it’s a stunning opener.

Someone Else’s Problem powers into existence at a driving pace and never really lets go. There’s a raw authenticity and desperation here that makes the track hit hard, and you’ll be singing the refrain by the second chorus whether you like it or not. The verse carries a dangerous edge that adds a menacing darkness to the album, and the breakdown is worth the admission price alone – almost rapped vocals layered with soaring backing harmonies that hint at the spirit of Therapy? at their most fearless.

October initially pulls things back before slamming straight into Bones Park Rider’s trademark driving sound. The song rises and falls in an almost operatic fashion, with layered instrumentation blending seamlessly into their distinctive sonic fingerprint. The vocal delivery is pained and immediate, and once again the band prove they’re masters of the breakdown, dropping into a middle section that collapses and rebuilds with ferocity, leaving you momentarily stunned.

Femme Fatale shows a new side entirely, screaming into life with a snarling punk attitude that feels venomous and urgent. It’s raw, in-your-face and impossible to ignore, yet still anchored by the epic melodic core the band do so well. The chaotic mid-section highlights their unorthodox edge before everything is reeled back in with a brilliantly placed 1950s American TV sample that fits the mood perfectly.

The Truth Will Out gives a little breathing room, opening with reflective guitar and vocal lines before gradually building into something far bigger. There’s a hint of early 2000s band Live here, but it quickly twists into something darker and heavier, moving between soaring guitar work and grungier, guttural textures. It’s a real journey of a track and one that rewards repeated listens.

Dead On Time flexes their punk muscle again with a full-throttle assault that still retains the band’s bombastic, epic sensibility. Lyrically it feels especially relevant right now, reading like a protest song for the modern age. The middle section builds genuine tension before an impressive stop-start moment snaps everything back into place and sends the track racing home.

Soldier Boy marches in on an impressively controlled bass line before expanding into something that carries a subtle 80s weight and gothic undertone. The song slides along effortlessly, and the production here really shines, allowing space for every element to breathe. The fading, desperate outro lingers long after the track ends.

Down on the Lowside swaggers in with confidence, delivering a driving verse before shifting tempo and exploding into a sing-along chorus dripping in dirty, 80s-inspired swagger, fully updated for 2026. It’s bold, brash and hugely fun.

Drinkers’ Lament starts sweetly before surging forward with real force. The shifts in volume, tempo and vocal delivery make this one a real standout, a genuine rollercoaster of a song packed with ideas. There’s so much happening here that you’ll want to hit repeat just to catch everything you missed the first time around.

The album closes with The Wild Hunt / When the Devil Knows Your Name, a darker ending than expected but perfectly judged. Grandiose without tipping into self-indulgence, it starts restrained and ominous before, around the ninety-second mark, all hell breaks loose. The band drive the track forward with relentless energy, building and building into an incredible crescendo that brings the album to a thunderous close.

The Comfort of Nightmares is exactly what a great album should be – varied, confident, fearless, and packed with ideas, yet never losing its identity. There isn’t a weak track in sight, and it proves Bones Park Rider aren’t just survivors of the underground, they’re one of its strongest forces. If these are the nightmares, we’re more than comfortable losing sleep to them.