Place To Land. Bloomsday

Bloomsday is a NYC duo, Iris James Garrison (they/them) and Alex Harwood. Formed in 2019 and recorded in 2020. This makes clear how much time Bloomsday lost, like a lot of people. In 2022 there's no stopping it. After the two singles, both covered on this blog, it is time for the seven song mini album Place To Land.

Expect slow songs on the edge of folk, indie and dreamrock. Songs to listen to, with faint traces of Big Thief and Adrianne Lanker's way of singing. This sets the stage without setting boundaries. Bloomsday is just starting and with Place To Land set a clear marker for itself.

The songs on the album all are in the mid tempo, at best. Ballads is a part of the description, as the other half is an inner tension that is not always allowed to climb to the surface. The moments when it is, it is the electric guitar expressing itself in an emotional way. Watch out for the overdubs on the guitar. Garrison keep themselves more on the surface where her vocal expression is concerned. They sing with a rather flat voice, often mixed deeper into the song, becoming a part of it.

What defines the music, is subtlety and intensity. In the lyrics Iris James Garrison sings about her period of transition and all that brought with it. They do so in an abstract way. The huge emotions this period must have brought to the fore, are not reflected in the presentation. Bloomsday's music is subtle. Small details define the songs. The intensity comes from the way the songs gel. In how the acoustic guitar and a keyboard create the foundation of a song like 'ISO'. In the way the electric guitar fires up 'Standby', the least subtle song on Place To Land, coming close to an indie rock song.

Promo photo: Gabi Rudin

All together it makes Place To Land pleasant to listen to and a pleasant listening experience. Bloomsday presents all its songs with little extras to discover. Giving the album as a whole extras, often played by Alex Harwood. Played in the background the album is unobtrusive. When played in splendid isolation, a treasure-trove of instruments, sounds and overdubs opens itself. They all enrich the album, making it more special with each listening session.

Place To Land is an album for everyone who appreciates music from indie-folk artists with an occasional bite. For me the album is still growing and it appears to remain doing so. Closing in on the end of Place To Land and this review, I even hear a little Christine McVie style Fleetwood Mac song in 'See The End', albeit an alternative version of it. I'm curious already what I will hear tomorrow.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Place To Land here:

https://bl00msday.bandcamp.com/album/place-to-land