Our dreams can become like heavy clouds, leaning on our minds and turning into unnerving nightmares. The world isn’t a platform for unaffected optimism these days, as it’s in complete transition, with wars going on and people trying to feed themselves without going into bankruptcy. Holding on is difficult when depression blooms like weeds in minds broken, and anxiety rattles through the body, eradicating any moment of normality.
German band Bloomer details their feelings with smooth clarity on their record Circles, and anxiety seamlessly flows in as a theme, while the band describe the devil as an intruder, an evil catalyst, who is trying to smash their minds into smithereens. This theme becomes a focal point on the record, and the act doesn’t hold back on telling us their grievances about the world either.
Lyrically, the band has worked tirelessly. They don’t lean on aimless rhyming or putting words together for the sake of it. They break conventions, they abort the normal routines, and they love their art. Art these days can be formulaic and linear, and some bands are scared to take risks, but Bloomer has gone their own way, putting down words that mean the world.
These words click in well, and the band are lyricists of the highest order, creating worlds and crafting magic while feeling downtrodden and drunk to the night, opting for the light when the darkness comes in as an unwelcomed beast, triggering the anxiety that they ultimately scorn.
Musically, the melodies are supreme, created by musicians who know how to mix instrumental coherency with harmonies. The blasts of guitars, which have been meticulously designed, loudly commit to the sound, too, and the vocal work interweaves seamlessly, sending those words into overdrive.
And Circles has the measure and quality to break through the excessive fat of the music industry. Yes, there are too many bands trying to rip through the over-skin to the Promised Land, but Bloomer sound like an act ready to go for it and fit in. Their music isn’t polished either, though it has so much attitude and sincerity to make them contenders.
Every song has meaning and substance. Head In The Clouds begins with sturdy guitar work, and the vocal work hits like a buzz of adrenaline. The chorus interconnects brilliantly well, and the lyrics are poetic and unnerving:
Now I’m driving around in a heartless town
Trying to turn my head off
I miss the flowers, I miss the clouds
Could somebody please drag me out
These lyrics demand attention, and they seem to describe the damning anxieties the band feels. Though, there’s elegance there, as the flowers become the colour when the gritty darkness tries to take over.
Waste Me is a standout track, gifting us with technical riffs and melancholy, though the sound is rather upbeat. The song boasts an infectious chorus, and the lyrics are yet again poetic:
My god, what have you done to me
All my principles seem to be obsolete
Push me off the track
Throw stones into my window
Terrorism by your calls
I don’t want to pick up the phone
I’m pissed, I swear to god
Screams end up in my pillow
These lyrics point to rage and dying love. The band have a great understanding of the written word, and this track, explains that they’re hurting and want love to seep in like blood on a bandage.
I Think You Need Some Rest stands out as a love song, but one with dark undertones:
Quiet little secrets crawl across the floor
Still suffering from high fever
It makes me so nauseous
In the day it makes you nervous
In the night it gives you chills
Wake up my friend
The theme here is drastic, but the band doesn’t sugar-coat or cover over anything. They say it as it is and more. Musically, this is a hard-hitting song with meaty guitar strokes and memorable harmonies.
Bloomer has created a record bound in ingenious instrumental muscle, and their creativity knows no limits. With Circles, they have written poetry of the dark kind, too, but it reflects the times we’re living in. They have what it takes to rise like a determined phoenix as a collective.
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