Natalie Jenkins
Some say that tough times call for tough measures—but Blumarelo has us consider that more deeply. On March 11th, 2026, the band released their eighth single “Bones All Around,” a poignantly cheerful reminder that even when things seem bleak, music remains a place of refuge.
“Bones All Around” channels the playfulness of 2000s indie rock, pairing Vampire Weekend’s bright, polished textures with Latin rock’s warm, danceable rhythms. The track reflects Blumarelo’s sound more generally, which the band describes as “‘multinational rock”—a fusion shaped by the diverse backgrounds of its members: Vincent Teetsov (born in the US, with Estonian and Brazilian heritage) on vocals and rhythm guitar, Renan Deodato (from Brazil) on lead guitar, Mauricio Gamboa (from Mexico) on bass, and Julious Nshaba (from Uganda) on drums.
Blumarelo’s sentimentalism shines bright in “Bones All Around,” a story about “the lengths people go to for the things they love,” which, in this case, is about music and creative self-expression. Set in 1960s Estonia, the song tells the story of “the historical practice of manufacturing contraband music using discarded x-ray film, known as ‘ribs records’” (“Bones All Around” Press Release).
Under the Soviet Union’s oppressive post-war regime, accessing Western culture—seen as a plague to the system—was forbidden. But, for the bootleggers of the time, this did not matter; sounds circulated, music persisted. It always has. Whether through choral traditions, personal anthems, or political resistance, music has long offered a way to endure hardships, inspiring resilience and strength in its listeners. What words sometimes fail to express, music breathes life into.
Listening to “Bones All Around,” it’s easy to imagine someone holding a fragile object embedded with sounds from beyond the Iron Curtain, lowering the needle in anxious anticipation of what something so foreign and forbidden must sound like. What did they feel as they stared into the ghostly images of shattered wrists and broken arms spinning into a blur? Was it fear? Awe? Wonder? Playing these records (let alone owning them) surely presented a risk—and here indeed, the main characters of this song question if the risk is worth it, saying that “No rock and roll was worth getting shot” (even if it was The Beatles)—but hopefully those “bones all around” might have inspired resilience and hope, at least in those few minutes of rock ‘n’ roll bliss.
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You can listen to “Bones All Around” available on major streaming platforms!
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.