Canadian alternative/emo artist blo0m finds himself in a sonic departure within “strawberry winter” from what his existing fans may be familiar with, though still true to his artistry all the same.
Having established himself in the late 2010’s as the frontman for anthemic rock duo Write Home, and more recently as the touring bassist for black metal act Unreqvited, blo0m’s entry to his solo endeavor is a natural progression for anyone familiar with him as an artist, person, and storyteller. Never to be one confined by the typical instrumentation or lyricism expected from the genres he’s placed himself in, “strawberry winter” is a strong debut that takes readers back to the acoustic stylings of early PVRIS and nothing,nowhere. — a guitar guiding listeners through the song while allowing production to pick up and soar with the vocals when the lyrics demand packing a harder punch (or altogether pulling back when blo0m wants to demand the audience’s attention that much more).
In “strawberry winter,” blo0m boasts his signature charming, near-hypnotic voice through layered harmonies. Both the melody and lyricism of this song bewitched me, which isn’t that common for a song to do.
“This feeling is constant, my faith for you shows; you’ve taken ahold of me, but I’ve never felt so wronged” — a tale of love and longing that finds blo0m in suffocating isolation, still with hope for change despite constantly looking back on past failures and sabotage. It’s a familiar experience to many, searching for a new outcome under the same circumstances. And yet, blo0m’s approach to lyricism leaves enough room for interpretation for any listener to find meaning within its verses.
Concluding with blo0m’s voice echoing that he’ll “never know” the life he’s searching for, listeners are give a moment to breathe before the song is stripped back to its barest form: the acoustic guitar returns once again, only to double down on the sense of melancholy and loneliness that the previous three minutes of the song laid out.
It’s rare to find an artist who can craft a song that roots itself in a feeling of sadness and lost hope, while presenting it in a manner that’s warm enough to put the listener at ease; blo0m masters this skill effortlessly, finding himself in the company of indie/acoustic alternative staples like beabadoobee, Daughter, and The xx as a result.
“strawberry winter” is a heart-rendering track in the most welcome way. You can watch the lyric video and stream the track below.
