New year, new me! It’s a “live, laugh, love” proclamation that gets trotted out every time the calendar changes over the January 1. But what about “new year, new album”? That’s where Milwaukee indie-rock band Bronco comes in.

It’s practically a case of “new band,” too. Bronco’s first show was in April 2024; now, nine months later, at the dawn of 2025, the group has unveiled its debut LP, For Friends And Family. It’s no modest introduction, either; clocking in at 12 songs and 45 minutes, it’s a wild-and-wooly collection of sometimes-scruffy, sometimes-delicate, always-tuneful songs that show off a band with inspiration and ideas to spare

Early tracks like “Burn” and “Birds! Birds! Birds!” fall into the “scruffy” category. Thematically, there’s a refreshing earnestness and vulnerability to these songs; musically, there are shades of past Milwaukee bands like the late, great Brat Sounds. The back half of the record is dominated by folkier selections, like the yearning “Matter” and the lilting “Drones.” Closer “All Creatures,” however, goes full-on noisy-freak-out and ends things on a positively apocalyptic note.

If For Friends And Family feels a bit overstuffed, it’s likely due to a new band eager to put everything but the kitchen sink into its debut release. But the highlights—and there are plenty of them—are strong, and they all but guarantee Bronco will be a band worth riding for in 2025 and beyond.

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Co-Founder and Editor

Matt Wild weighs between 140 and 145 pounds. He lives on Milwaukee's east side.