Reviewed by Rod Lobaugh

It seems the new trend in Christian-influenced music's little corner of the world is for bands with bright futures to disband before the brightness of their future is ever realised. In the last few months. rumours have churned in regards to the demise and burial of Luxury. Joe Christmas and even Six Feel Deep. Now, the moody modem rock band Bloomsday has been laid to rest in the same graveyard of the aforementioned dearly departed. Bloomsday's break up was officially announced at the same time that their new self-titled EP was released courtesy of Velvet Blue Music. Through this stellar new F:P. Bloomsday has managed to etch a timeless epitaph, forever reminding fans of what might have been. Like the Lassie Foundation's 'California' that was also released on VBM, Bloomsday's EP spans only five songs, one of which is an instrumental. All of the tracks are woven together into a vivid fabric of sorrowful melodies and sullen vocals. Lead singer Blake Westcott thrives on an emotional depth and wide octave range. Where others toss around multitudes of feedback and buzz to carry a tune, Bloomsday hands the work to Westcott's impressive vocal abilities. From the opening song "Blush", Westcott's mournful crooning focuses on some of the gloomier aspects of life. The internal agonies of loneliness, embarrassment and regret Agonies that everyone must cope with throughout life. Agonies that many suffer through alone and confused. It is these aspects that Westcott dramatically brings into the light with each song on their EP. culminating with the epic "Suddenly June". With their music, Bloomsday offer a portrait of pain and sorrow which reaches into the listener and firmly grasps a hold of every emotional string. At that point, their sweet subtlety takes over, immersing the listener in their dramatic, emotive power. Glimpses of bands like Sunny Day Real-estate can be seen in Bloomsday's songwork. Most notably within the slow moans and stripped-down guitars of "Girl With A Black Dress". Yet, Bloomsday has a balance of luxuriant, slow rolling rock that is unique and surprisingly well-crafted. Even in the more extreme moments, a skilled hand can be detected. A hand orchestrating a beautiful, concise How within the layers of each tune. This can perhaps best he seen towards the end of the finale, '"Suddenly June". The song builds up into a lower of emotion and thick layered sound. The result is not chaos, but a mix of sounds that Flow together perfectly. The sung then cuts off abruptly, as if someone has jerked the needle away from the record player prematurely. A fitting end to the last album Bloomsday will ever record.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.