Greg Norton and Ultrabomb Return with New Single “Artificial Stars”
Former Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton has been hitting it hard lately with Social Distortion drummer Derek O’Brien and Soul Asylum guitarist/vocalist Ryan Smith in their trio called Ultrabomb. After two full-length LPs, the punk rock supergroup is gearing up for a third with a new single.
“Artificial Stars” is our first glimpse of The Bridges That We Burn, due out April 3rd. The song centers on Norton’s signature tone and attack as the lyrics confront “themes of isolation, endurance and the drive to keep reaching forward in uncertain times.”
“Sitting in our bunkers, we only have artificial stars to look at,” Norton says of the track. “We are all scarred, but we keep reaching for those stars.”
“Artificial Stars” is streaming now on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other platforms.
Norton formed Hüsker Dü with Grant Hart and Bob Mould in 1979 and stayed with the band through its dissolution in 1988. Their sound bridged punk and hardcore, ultimately leading to the rise of Indie Rock and thus alternative rock. On a recent episode of the Strano Podcast, Norton explained that Ultrabomb has filled him with the same excitement as the old days.
“Ultrabomb definitely took me back to those early Hüsker Dü days, where it was the three of us working on the songs. It’s a full collaboration of three people working on something together,” he said. “This last record that we’re just finishing up has been super easy. We did eleven songs in four days and finished everything.”
Hear the whole interview here:
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
