Vanilla Bloom’s recent debut is an absolute treat to the senses. This psychic pop project has burst out of the gate with a debut album adorned with luscious layers of sound and mesmerising melodic lines. With plenty of intricate ear candy thrown in for good measure. Vanilla Bloom has sculpted a completely unique atmosphere in ‘Promise’, that grows increasingly immersive as you journey on through the twelve tracks. Founded by Twin Ports musician Jacob Cloutier, Vanilla Bloom has immediately carved a name for himself in the alt-pop landscape with this beautifully crafted debut.
There’s a conceptual quality to the free-flowing structure and thematic lyrics that swim throughout the songs. Think Gorillaz’ ‘Plastic Beach’ as a reference point. The fusion of samples and sourced sounds is astounding. In ‘Sour Patch’, the opening track, Jacob has effortlessly intertwined sounds from our everyday lives into the dreamy sonic world. It makes for fascinating listening. Throughout the album, it’s impossible to know which direction the track will sway. In ‘Ithaca (On & On)’ the track evolves into a groovy, soulful alt-pop atmosphere from an intriguing industrial score; it’s both surprising and completely satisfying all at once. ‘Phoenix/Saffron’ delves into the rockier realms of Vanilla Bloom’s sound as Jacob Cloutier offers up a captivating vocal chorus. His layers of vocals melt into one another, blurring the boundaries of the main melody and creating tides of vocals that wash over you. There’s not one track without a moment of electronic excitement, where some sound or sweeping synth line seems to burst from behind a curtain. The intro to ‘Ticket To Ride’ alone has enough colour to have you on a trip. Throughout the whole of ‘Promise’, there are stunning sections of synth solos and beat breakdowns. ‘Cloud Pink’ is a complete stand out for this alone. Bold and unafraid to fuse the fundamentals of many genres together, Vanilla Bloom has created an updated and evolved type of electronic psychedelic music with this truly astoundingly sculpted debut.
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By Sasha Lauryn
