An upbeat coalescence of dub, Spaghetti Western hues and revolution, today ARIA Award-winning ska collective Melbourne Ska Orchestra unveil a brand new track Bom Bom Bom; a charismatic sonic powder keg that also accompanies a music video and the announcement of a new forthcoming Melbourne Ska Orchestra album, with The Ballad Of Monte Loco set for release on Friday June 27. And with a huge global tour set to span Australia, Japan and Canada from July to October 2025, the arrival of The Ballad Of Monte Loco kicks open the doors to a thrilling new MSO musical saga ahead of a huge run of shows.
Opening with the whirring sound of a film projector and hypnotic hooks, Bom Bom Bom swings into a track punctuated by tremolo guitar picking, dub beats and smoky soundscapes, perfectly setting the scene both for a dusky desert caper as well as a call to action, with Bom Bom Bom’s lyrics soaked in powerful protest as Melbourne Ska Orchestra leader Nicky Bomba elaborates, “Bom Bom Bom is a rally cry wrapped in rhythm. It’s about waking up, standing up, and remembering that the power belongs to the people. There’s a fire underneath it all—a deep frustration with systems that divide and distract—but also a joy in coming together to shake the walls with music. It’s protest through party. It’s a revolution… with a horn section.”
“There’s definitely a nod to The Skatalites and Toots,” adds Bomba, “but also the storytelling vibe of Gil Scott-Heron, the space-dub of Lee Scratch Perry, and that Spaghetti Western cinematic scope—Morricone still guiding us like a desert prophet. We utilise a few different languages too, Sally Ford bringing the Texacali spirit to the MSO sound.”
Produced by Nicky Bomba and the MSO crew, Bom Bom Bom was recorded in-house with a tapestry of sound design courtesy of award-winning composer Wally Maloney. And with soundscapes spanning the full gamut of the cinematic West including church bells, whips, horses and whistles (also extending to the broader The Ballad Of Monte Loco album), it’s fitting that the accompanying music video for Bom Bom Bom embraces a spirit befitting the silver screen, with the clip once again bringing on board a long-time MSO collaborator to bring the Western vibes to visual fruition. “We wanted to capture some of the cinematic energy of Sergio Leone classics like The Fistful Trilogy and merge it with some of the wilder, more surreal visions of the West,” shares Bomba. “We love the craziness of films by Alejandro Jodorowsky, so we hoped to bottle a bit of that energy as well. We figured a good tribute to these cinematic ideas would be a trailer to our fictional Western film The Ballad Of Monte Loco. We worked with long-time collaborator and friend Clayton Jacobson—he’s got the eye for mixing real grit with cinematic magic. He’s done some of our most popular music videos and he just gets it.”
Along with Bom Bom Bom, Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s most recent singles Walls of Jericho and John Wayne have steadily painted a picture of what lies at the heart of the group’s upcoming new album, The Ballad Of Monte Loco; a tantalising combo of Western badlands smoulder fused with reggae, horns and beyond across its 13 tracks. Opening with a haunting church bell, galloping percussion and ghostly melodies, The Brave, The Mean and the Wild Ones perfectly sets the scene, detailing “how the West was won” merged with perky saxophone solos, genuine horse gallops, sweeping horns and honky tonk piano. From here, The Ballad Of Monte Loco continuously feels like a full body immersion into a celluloid fever dream, with hazy dub swoon (No Doubt About It and Read Between The Lines), prowling Western soundscapes, Latin piano lines and sprinkling percussion (Pay No Mind), mesmerising grooves set against sparkling horns and commanding urgency that transcends language and time (No Me Mientas), as well as a whispered and haunting interlude (Fortune Teller). The second half of The Ballad of Monte Loco then immediately journeys between upbeat cinematic storytelling (John Wayne), jubilant positivity (Spring In My Step), funked-up jaunt (When Bootsy Came To Town), and a powerful call to arms coated with modern panache and vintage saloon vibes (Realidad). And while the entirety of The Ballad Of Monte Loco is equally eclectic yet cohesive, closing track One Thing ends on a commanding note, deftly balancing its languid vocals, cloudy arrangements and bewitching harmonies with a sturdy closing message to persevere against the odds.
“This album was born in a time of uncertainty, but also one of reflection and fire,” says Bomba of the upcoming album. “The Ballad of Monte Loco is our imagined Western world, where rhythm is resistance, and people rise together through music. It touches on revolution, false prophets, joy as rebellion, and the power of truth when it’s sung loud. We wanted it to feel like both a warning and a celebration.”
One of Australia’s most commanding collectives, Melbourne Ska Orchestra amalgamate some of the country’s finest musicians and performers, helmed with formidable dexterity by Nicky Bomba (John Butler Trio, Bomba, Bustamento). Forming in the early 2000s, MSO are an energy-infested orchestra with a difference, with the group comprising up to 26 members spanning vocals, horns, keys, percussion, woodwind and more. Releasing their self-titled debut album in 2013, MSO would earn the first of many ARIA Award nominations, ultimately going on to take out Best World Music Album in 2016 for their second full-length, Sierra Kilo Alpha, as well as Best World Music Album in 2019 for their multi album box set One Year of Ska. And proving their relentless work-ethic alongside their world-class skillset, One Year of Ska also found Melbourne Ska Orchestra releasing a song every week for an entire year.
Over the years Melbourne Ska Orchestra have ticked off multiple sold out shows on home soil, dozens of major festival appearances, twelve international tours, and a sea of awards and nominations. But it’s not just the group’s prolific output that has found them so hotly in demand worldwide, with MSO’s explosive live performance and genre-defying genius generating acclaim and huge nods of approval from reggae and ska legends including Stranger Cole, Owen Grab, Carlos Malcolm, Ranking Roger and Neville Staples.
In 2025, Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s world domination continues, both via the upcoming release of The Ballad Of Monte Loco as well as an upcoming huge global tour that will see them travel through Australia, Japan and Canada throughout July, August, September and October 2025. And whetting the appetite with today’s new single, dropping Bom Bom Bomahead of the release of The Ballad Of Monte Loco later this month, there are truly some unforgettable moments still to come, as Nicky Bomba concludes, “We’re buzzin’! There’s nothing like the full MSO experience live—up to 20 of us on stage, blasting brass, thundering percussion, and skankin’ til the roof lifts. It’s not just a gig—it’s a full-blown brass opera with boots, sweat, and soul. We’re bringing the world of Monte Loco to life in every town we hit.
“This isn’t background music. This is a dancefloor sermon. A brass-laced vision quest. A reminder that when we gather in rhythm, walls fall and hearts rise. Bom Bom Bom is just the beginning. Monte Loco awaits…”
Bom Bom Bom is out today.
The Ballad Of Monte Loco is due out Friday June 27.
Tickets for Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s ‘The Ballad Of Monte Loco’ Tour are on sale now from www.melbourneskaorchestra.com/.