Alt-Americana outfit Echo Bloom recently released their full-length album, Wake, painting a picture of apocalypse and the disenchantment of the American Dream, probing the feeling of being a stranger in a strange land.
Echo Bloom’s songwriter, Kyle Evans, explains, “There’s a degree of removal and disassociation. I think to a certain extent that is kind of how I feel right now. There’s this vague sense of existential dread just pounding away at us day after day.”
While growing up, Evans spent his summers camping with his family in an old Ford Aerostar throughout Southwest America. The camping trips invested in him a bond with nature, now contrasted against the bleak destruction of the environment.
Produced by Kevin Salem and Evans, Wake was recorded in Woodstock, New York, and Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2012, Echo Bloom is made up of Kyle Evans, Aviva Jaye, Cody Rahn, and Alex Minier. Along with releasing three studio albums, Echo Bloom has toured Europe and the U.S.
Comprising 10-tracks, entry points on Wake include “Fool’s Gold,” traveling on shimmering waves of gentle Americana, riding a measured rhythm. Low-slung rasping vocals infuse the lyrics with wistful hues of nostalgia and melancholy.
Lightly gleaming and low-slung, the folk flavors of “Corsica” shape soft guitars and an effortless pulsing rhythm into a silky-smooth song. One of the best tracks, “Beautiful Day” begins with opulent Cappella voices rolling into an infectious rhythm. Hushed, almost whispery vocals, infuse the lyrics with warm textures. The feel and flow of “Beautiful Day” are at once bewitching and gracefully seductive.
“John the Revelator” features a dark intro composed of rounded, throbbing drums flowing into a bluesy, swamped-flavored tune thrumming with shadowy, sleazy tones. Vaguely reminiscent of “Run Through the Jungle” or Godsmack’s “Voodoo,” there’s a delicious chill to “John the Revelator.”
The final track, “Short Wave,” features retro savors of ‘60s rock, followed by iridescent guitars riding a tight, simple rhythm, giving the tune dazzling cadence. Bubbling with feel-good energy, this song is oh so vibrant and contagious.
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On Wake, Echo Bloom supplies delish alt-Americana, ranging from low and indulgent to the upbeat tangs of “Beautiful Day” and “Short Wave.”
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