[rating=7.00]
Creating something exquisite can require so many factors to serendipitously fall into place and fit just right. Right location, right time, right inspiration, right atmosphere. That was the case when three musicians came together to begin working on songs at a house outside Austin, TX after meeting on tour.
Jonathan Meiburg, lead singer of Shearwater, became fast friends with Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski when their band Cross Record opened for his band in 2016. Meiburg was transfixed by Cross Record’s sound and wanted to collaborate, resulting in Loma and their intoxicating self-titled debut.
Tapping into Cross’s hauntingly beautiful voice and enveloping themselves in the sounds of their surrounding natural environment, the trio ended up with a strong, moody set of songs that convey a sense of darkness and solitude. This can also be attributed to the fact that Cross and Duszynski, married at the start of the project, split up over the course of making the record. The shared creative process and the finished product, while often sad and unsettling, ultimately convey the intense emotions likely circulating throughout the shared space.
There is a dreamy haze cast over Loma, particularly on a song like “Black Willow”, which features the group’s voices in soft, hushed harmony. “Who Is Speaking?” is equally bewitching. Cross’s vocals have an otherworldly effect on the song, like it’s floating out of the sky and into your ears. “Dark Oscillations” is an oddball, almost electronic song, with a sense of foreboding that comes across through a fascinating mix of percussion sounds and a melody that feels like it’s creeping up on you. The band incorporated what they heard around them outside the house where they held their sessions. You’ll hear the wind on “Black Willow” and actual dogs panting on “Sun Dogs”, and details like these add an organic touch to the songs on Loma, like they sort of just…happened. Through their sonic playfulness, they also manage to play with light and darkness, making the record feel not only visceral, but visual, like it’s taking shape and forming on the wall right in front of our eyes.
Loma feels so present – not a flash in the pan, but urgent and so specifically of a moment. Lyrics about needing to break away, to get unstuck (penned by Meiburg, but executed by Cross), mixed with Duszynski’s engrossing exploration of sound create something so compelling, you’ll wonder if this could ever happen again.
