It would be easy to laugh at the idea of Bono’s (yes, that Bono) son forming an alternative rock band. In an artistic landscape dominated by nepo-babies, one of the most iconic and ridiculed rock stars of all time’s son joining the trend just makes perfect, cringey sense. Unfortunately for the naysayers, Elijah Hewson-led band Inhaler has cultivated a very active and passionate online fanbase. And even worse for them… the music is some of the most interesting to come out of Gen-Z alternative in a while.

I came across Inhaler after a friend of mine started posting about how good their new album was. We had become friends through music (specifically  artists such as The 1975 and The Strokes), so I trusted her taste. What came from the 45-minute listen was an obsession that would rule my life for the better half of the year. I started posting about them on Twitter, I got posters of them, and I even made my U2-hating dad listen to them! And all of this really was because their second album, Cuts and Bruises, is that damn good.

Taking inspiration both from modern artists like fellow Dublin band Fontaines DC, Sam Fender, and Arctic Monkeys and from older artists like Oasis, New Order, and yes… U2, makes for an exciting flavor of music. The sound of Cuts and Bruises is both a breezy throwback and excitingly fresh, and each of its 11 tracks found its way in the top 20 of my Spotify Wrapped. The replay value here is insane, with every track being expertly crafted with catchy hooks and addicting instrumentals.

The band has described the album as a “melting point” of all the members’ passions and strong points, which is very evident when you listen to it. Every member is working together to create something so addictingly fun. The band's skills are best noted in the track “Dublin in Ecstasy”, a shoutout to the band's hometown that’s filled with heavy instrumentals and raw vocals from Hewson. The band’s versatility is best found in “Love Will Get You There” and “Valentine”, two very different tracks that are inspired from various eras of rock music. Yet there really is no weak point of this album when you have four members who are so in sync working together in perfect harmony.

In a world where generic Tik-Tok alternative bands dominate those charts, seeing a band like Inhaler exist is so wonderful. I can only hope as a fan that they keep becoming more and more successful (although not too successful, I still need to be able to get concert tickets!).

10/10