If It's Too Loud...

Sometimes bills are put together perfectly. Thursday night was one of those when the double bill of Mali Velasquez and Bloomsday came into Somerville, and Sweet Petunia was added as local support. All three artists are perfect examples of the indie folk genre, and all three blended together perfectly. Plus, I've been meaning to check out the new-ish Warehouse XI for a while, so it ended up being my perfect chance to. Sweet Petunia opened the show. Despite the fact that they're from Boston, I hadn't been able to see them yet. Maddy Simpson and Mairead Guy play together perfectly. The duo played a short, but glorious set of indie folk songs that endeared themselves to Mali Valsquez and Bloomsday's audience. I couldn't tell how many people knew of Sweet Petunia before Thursday night, but they completely won over the crowd within a song or two. Bloomsday played next, and I had high expectations for their set. Musically, they have the laid back indie folk sound mixed wit...

Photo by Desdemona Dallas Bloomsday is the musical project of New York's Iris James Garrison. They just released a new single, "Virtual Hug," that could very well be folk-pop perfection. The press release describes the song as "... a love song for long distance best friends," and it's a beautiful and sensitive folk song. Something about Garrison's vocal delivery is just captivating and immediately sucks you in as soon as the song starts. The song borders on twee at times, but that just adds to the entire package. Even if "Virtual Hug" edges too far into the mainstream for you, Garrison is going to pull you back into enjoying it. Iris James Garrison says of their new single: "As this song came to me, I was thinking a lot about how my best friend was moving to LA. I hadn’t spent time away from them for longer than a week before, and was trying to imagine what that might be like. My partner and their best friend are on opposite coasts so I’ve...

Photo by Desdemona Dallas Bloomsday is the project of New York City's Iris James Garrison, and just released a new single. "Dollar Slice" is this perfect mix of modern folk and country. It doesn't sound at all like it could be made by an NYC artist, particularly with the amount of slide guitar. There's also a ton of indie rock noise sprinkled throughout, making "Dollar Slice" remind me of the more mellow side of Wednesday, and the way the song builds will have you thinking of Lucy Dacus. Bloomsday have created a powerful and engaging song only made stronger by the emotion in Garrison's vocals. It might be premature to say this based on one song, but expect to hear a lot more about Bloomsday throughout the year. Iris James Garrison says of their new song:  “I'm not religious. But I am into the idea of mystical, higher power – whatever that means – and that power seeing me, and my bullshit, and calling it out. That’s kind of godly to me.” You can w...