Artist Feature – Dove Bomb: Young Dreams, Timely Connections, and Belonging in the Scene

A young female voice shattering expectations in the Tampa Bay metal scene fronting Dove Bomb.

Winter comes in phases, days grow shorter, nights stretch longer, and everything begins to slow before the rush of the holidays takes over. But just before the season fully shifted, we found ourselves sitting in the warmth of golden hour with Chloe, the lead singer and songwriter of Tampa Bay hard rock/metal band Dove Bomb.

Over iced tea at The Sourdough Co. in St. Petersburg, Chloe spoke with an ease that contrasts the intensity of her music. She laughed often over the joy for her band but was able to shed light on her growing experience within a scene that is growing right alongside her.

“My nickname when I was really little was Dove,” Chloe said with a warm smile. “My parents called me lovey, then lovey dovey, and eventually it just became Dove. It evolved over time.”

When it came time to name the band, that personal connection became the foundation. “I was trying to figure out a band name, and my dad suggested incorporating ‘Dove’, something personal to me. He actually came up with it,” she laughed. “He doesn’t take credit for it, but he’s my dad, I’ll give him credit.”

That suggestion turned into Dove Bomb, a name that reflects both her roots and the band’s identity in the metal genre. “My dad said, ‘Well, what about Dove Bomb?’ And I’ve been exposed to so many different kinds of music my whole life, but the ‘bomb’ came from getting into the metal and rock scene.”

Chloe performing live at Oscura.

Photo credit - Kayla Erny

Despite their heavy sound, Dove Bomb isn’t confined to one box to label them under. “We take elements from all different stuff,” Chloe explained. “We all have our own influences. I’ll pull from different things than our drummer, he listens to everything from hardcore to Big Time Rush,” she laughed. “It works for us because we’re all so different.”

As the conversation deepens, Chloe begins to open up about the band’s creative process. Her process isn’t just what she brings to the table, it’s a mixture of her own personal expression with collaborative energy within the band. “Lyrically, it’s all me…at least so far,” she explained. “If someone in the band came up to me and said, ‘Hey, I have some lyrics,’ I’d be open to it. But I still run everything by them. I’ll ask, ‘Does this hit hard? What sounds better?’ I get their input. The lyrics are mine, but musically, a lot of it comes from Brett and Dylan.”

For Chloe it seems important that each member brought something different into the mix. “There are a lot of times where we’ll come up with a hook together,” she said. “I’ll ask Brett what we can add guitar wise, and he’ll try different things. Then Dylan will layer in a beat. We all just incorporate differently.” The process isn’t fixed either, it shifts depending on the song. Allowing this energy to flow amongst the band.

When asked whether lyrics or instrumentals come first, Chloe points to one of their most recent singles as an example. “Our song ‘Shattered’, that one just popped into my brain,” she said nodding her head. “I wanted something that combined melodic vocals with heavier elements. I came up with the vocals first and showed it to Brett, and he started building guitar around it.”

But even then, the song continued to evolve. “Once he added guitar, I was like, ‘Wait, let me adjust to what you’re doing.’ So there are parts that came straight from my original idea, but a lot of it grew from what everyone else added later.” She added.

Dove Bomb performing live at Oscura.

Photo Credit - Kayla Erny

The band’s origin story feels just as unfiltered and instinct-driven as their sound. Formed in 2024, Dove Bomb didn’t come together through careful planning, it started with a dream to simply begin and with swift energy become reality.

“I was in that phase of, ‘Who do I even reach out to?’” Chloe recalled. “Every musician I know is already in a band.”

Having met people through music programs and the local scene, she had an idea of who she wanted to work with but availability was another story. “So I just reached out to a couple of friends and said, ‘Let’s try to build something.’ We even applied to a local music festival and started setting up a show…”

There’s a pause, then she lets out a little laugh. “…and I realized, I don’t even have a drummer.” I asked if that meant she signed up for a festival without a full band. “Yeah… kind of,” she answered with another laugh. “I figured worst case, I’d hire someone for the day.” That confidence is what pathed her road to find the band she needed to pull off this amazing first show.

What followed was a series of near-misses, until a last-minute connection changed everything. “Brett was like, ‘Hey, remember that drummer who filled in for our friend months ago?’ I was like, ‘Please get me his contact.’ I didn’t know anything about him or if he’d even say yes but I DM’d him, and he was immediately down.”

That message, that drummer, would quickly become more than just a fill-in for a one time show. “Now he’s literally one of my best friends,” Chloe said with a heartfelt smile. “We’re all super close. It’s crazy how that happens just from taking a chance and reaching out.”

With Chloe, Brett, and Dylan in place, Dove Bomb officially took shape for that first festival performance. At the time, they also brought on a bassist through mutual connections, though she has since stepped away from the band to pursue nursing.

What started as a thrown-together lineup for a single show quickly became something more solid, built not just on shared taste, but on trust, timing, and a willingness to figure it out as they went.

Chloe belting her heat out at Oscura.

Photo Credit - Kayla Erny

Their debut single, “Shattered,” became the natural first step in that evolution. This single was released October 24th, 2025 roughly a year later after the band was formed. “It was the first song we wrote as a band together,” Chloe said. “So it made sense for it to be our first release. It kind of shows everything we are - it has that heavy grit, but also a more melodic side. It pulls from all of our influences.”

What started as an early collaboration quickly gained unexpected momentum. “We ended up winning a Battle of the Bands, which got us free studio time,” she explained. “So we went in and recorded the drums there. Then we did vocals and guitar at home in a small setup and had it professionally mixed.”

The track that began as a raw idea between new bandmates is now stepping into the world as their official introduction. “Now it’s coming out,” she said with a large smile, still sounding a little amazed by the pace of it all. “Less than a year ago we wrote it, and almost a year ago we first practiced it together. It all happened so fast. I’m really grateful for the people who made that possible.”

With their single, “Shattered,” Chloe steps into a more introspective space one that, even for her, is still unfolding in real time. “It’s one of those songs where I can tell you the song is all about,” she said, “but even my own brain doesn’t fully understand the lyrics until way later. I don’t think I’ve even reached a point in life where I’ve fully experienced Shattered yet.”

For her, songwriting isn’t just storytelling it’s a window to her process of healing. “A lot of the time I’ll write something and then realize later, ‘Whoa… that actually happened to me a year ago.’ It comes up for me after the fact.” At its core, “Shattered” is about transformation though not in a clean or fully resolved way. “It’s about that journey,” she explained more. “I took different elements of things I knew and put them together. I don’t think I fully understand the whole picture yet. You can’t always see where the journey is going, but it makes its way there.”

That sense of unfolding is deeply part of the lyrics themselves. “In the first verse, I talk about losing, and I use the phrase ‘reversing the tower,’ which is a reference to tarot cards,” she said. “It’s kind of flipping the narrative like, I’m losing right now, but I’m going to turn it around.”

The song continues to pull that thread of struggle and rebuilding. “The second verse is about doing so much and not necessarily feeling appreciated or like you’re going anywhere. And then the bridge goes into this idea of breaking down and building back up, using the shards to create something new.”

As the sun begin to lower, the golden rays hitting the giant indoor skeleton next to us the conversation turns to the Tampa Bay music scene. Chloe shares her experience of freshly stepping into the scene as a new female fronted metal band to now fully embracing her place within it.

“When I first came into it, I thought everything was a competition,” she explained more, “Like, ‘Oh no…there are so many bands, so many fans…what are we supposed to do?’ If we didn’t get a gig, I’d think, ‘Why weren’t we good enough?’”

The early troubles of finding her footing didn’t last, she persisted and eventually realized the scene was more welcoming than competing.

“Once you actually get to know people, you realize we all want the same thing,” she said with a little smile. “Yeah, there are some people who are cutthroat, but there are so many who are genuinely supportive and just good people.” For Chloe, that realization reshaped how she moves within the scene, not as competition, but as collaboration. “I’m a really ambitious person, and there’s a lot of that here,” she says. “But even with that, people are still collaborative. That’s the key - working together.”

That sense of community becomes even more meaningful when navigating the metal scene as a young female artist. “I’ve definitely faced issues with that before,” she admitted. “But I’ve also had moments where I feel really empowered by it, like there’s this sense of unity.” What stands out most to her now is the shift happening in real time. “There are so many opportunities for women in metal right now, and it didn’t always used to be like that,” she says with excitement. “I’ve met so many other girls in bands, and it’s honestly amazing to see!”

Even with that progress, she acknowledges the challenges haven’t disappeared entirely. “There are still times where people just don’t get it,” she added. Still, her outlook remains grounded in growth both personally and within the scene itself. “If you don’t get an opportunity (and I remind myself this every day) it just means that one wasn’t for you,” she said. “It doesn’t mean you won’t get one. You might even get a better one!”

Dove Bomb rocking out with their fans.

Photo Credit - Kayla Erny

As the conversation winds down, what stands out most is how much Chloe has found not only her place but her voice within in a scene that once felt overwhelming, and slowly realizing she always belonged in it.

What she shares with us feels less like cliche advice and more personal, based off her own experiences, she wants everyone to realize they also have a place in the scene. Whether you’re a young fan or a young artist finding your way. “Just because you’re younger doesn’t mean you don’t have a place,” she said. “You do have a place in the scene.” She also learned that part of growth isn’t forcing yourself into every opportunity but recognizing which ones are actually right for you. “Don’t listen to comments on the internet,” she added with a hand wave as if she’s dodging the comments in real life. “Don’t settle for bad gigs or opportunities that don’t fit right. You want it to fit.”

There’s also a sense of responsibility she carries both for herself and for others navigating the same scene. “Be safe out there,” she says with a head nod. “Try to find circles and follow female bands. Reach out to them.” And at the core of it all is the foundation she credits for keeping her steady through it all. “I’m glad I have very supportive friends, family, and parents,” she said. “And having guys that I trust in the band is so important. I trust them to back me up, you know?”

When asked to describe Dove Bomb in less than five words, Chloe doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a whole experience,” she said with a laugh. There’s a specific kind of listener she keeps in mind while creating, one she remembers being herself not too long ago. “I want to be one of those bands that, when I was in middle school and didn’t really know who I was or what was going on in the world, I could just put on a band and lie there… and just be with it,” she said. “Just be with the music.”

When asked to share three goals for herself and the band, Chloe pauses on the bigger picture of what Dove Bomb is becoming. “First, to be at a place in life where we’re happy with the success we’ve reached as a band,” she said. The second goal is something closer to her, a hope that one day she will be joining her favorites on stage. “To tour with, or even open for, a band I’ve listened to my whole life,” she added. “A band I’ve looked up to or that’s influenced me. That would be an amazing experience.”

And the final goal ties back to the kind of impact she hopes their music will leave behind. “Lastly, I want to be a band that makes music…music that is timeless.”

Sitting down with Chloe, it becomes clear that Dove Bomb is still in its early stages, but already shaped by intention, connection, and determination that feels hard to ignore. From a name born out of childhood nicknames, to a band formed through last-minute connections and a leap of faith this band is certainly creating a lasting name for themselves within the metal scene. “Shattered” is now out and streaming, serving as an introduction to the band’s sound and energy. For those looking to experience it in its fullest form, Dove Bomb can be found playing locally building something that feels less like a moment, and more like momentum.