Vince Leigh’s Single Review: I Still Need Your Love by The Lovebombers
By Vince Leigh (Ex drummer of Pseudo Echo, Tina Arena and John Farnham) of Australian Radio Promotion for Sheldon Ang Media.
On their latest sortie, I Still Need Your Love, The Lovebombers don’t just play rock ‘n’ roll —they resurrect it, inject it with steroids, and parade it down Main Street. Imagine, if you will, a world where Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, The Darkness, and the yacht-rocking historians of FM radio had a lovechild. That child would be this song. Jordan Smith, the maestro of this merry band, weaves a sonic tapestry that’s dripping with the glitz of Van Halen and the cheeky bravado of Steel Panther, yet it never feels like a mere retro romp.
It’s as if he’s found a secret door in the back of the 80s wardrobe that leads straight to 2023. The song is a technicolour dream coat of sound, a flamboyant throwback to the era of big hair and bigger choruses. But The Lovebombers aren’t just looking in the rearview mirror. They drive this beast forward, full throttle, into a landscape that’s both strangely familiar and exhilaratingly new. Their sound is an alchemical mix—dense vocal harmonies that could give Queen, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, and Extreme a run for their money, all wrapped up in a texture that’s as rich as it is nuanced.
The guitar solo in I Still Need Your Love doesn’t just stand out—it leaps out, grabs you by the collar, and demands your attention. This is where skill meets soul, where musicianship tells a story, and what a story it is. Lyrically, the track explores a post-breakup introspection, laced with a humour that’s as wry as it is insightful. Set against the backdrop of Lismore, it taps into that universal vein of pondering over lost loves, blending nostalgia with a detachment that’s almost ironic. It’s the kind of lyrical craft that gets under your skin, speaking to the universal while feeling quite personal.
I Still Need Your Love is more than just a tip of the hat to the band’s influences; it’s a full-blown love letter to the rock genre. It stands as a testament to The Lovebombers’ ability to fuse the best of tradition with the spark of innovation. For the die-hard rock aficionados and the uninitiated alike, this track is a siren call, beckoning listeners to dive headfirst into The Lovebombers’ universe.
