BloomIn Passing (EP)

Sydney act Bloom have made their Greyscale Records debut with their chilling new EP In Passing, a hardcore record with a hardcore message; recounting the grief that vocalist Jono Hawkey experienced after the passing of his late grandfather, Bryan.

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This five-track EP unfolds like one cohesive story, each track following on smoothly from one another as they paint the picture of loss and regret that Hawkey felt–a message that is both deeply personal to Hawkey but keenly relatable to anyone who has lost a loved one.

In keeping to this core story, each track tells a different side to the feelings felt by Hawkey in this difficult time in his life. Some tracks focus on specifics, like The Service recounting the funeral itself and June reflecting on Bryan’s last days in hospital. Other tracks look at a wider perspective, with lead single Daylight depicting the fear of death and how suddenly it can come and closing track In Passing offering a sombre yet optimistic ‘letting go’ of the sorrow and moving on with life while we still have it. Perhaps the most chilling meaning behind a track comes from The Boat and The Stream, a song that describes a specific moment when Bryan was in his hospital bed, discussing a painting he had on his wall of  a stream surrounded by trees (a painting which inspired the EP’s dreamy artwork). Hawkey quotes Bryan as looking at this painting, remarking in his weary state that he was “waiting for the boat to come down the stream”, a haunting sentence that can no doubt be read into as having a deeper meaning given the circumstances.

Bloom’s sound is evidently rooted in a raw and emotional place, incorporating melodic elements while not letting that take away from their unpolished, hard-hitting hardcore sound.

In terms of the songs themselves, the EP has no shortage of emotional lyrics, shouted out with passion and rage through Hawkey’s harsh vocals. Lines like “I wish I could have looked my own mother in the eyes” on The Service and “I know now you’re in a better place/at least you’re no longer in pain” on In Passing  leave listeners with a chilling feeling, as Hawkey’s words are instantly relatable to the feeling of loss that we all know too well. Instrumentally, the EP flows track to track with a very similar style on each song, fitting the EP’s approach of telling one consistent story. Bloom’s sound is evidently rooted in a raw and emotional place, incorporating melodic elements while not letting that take away from their unpolished, hard-hitting hardcore sound. The Boat and The Stream and June use these softer, melodic elements to drive home the tracks’ deeply emotional messages, while Daylight and In Passing focus more on the intensity of their sound, using a faster and heavier approach to tell their part in this sombre story. Overall, In Passing plays out like a tragic poem, hiding a beautiful darkness behind its harsh instrumentals and a message that’s both touching and unnerving when you listen close to the side of the story that each track is depicting. While Bloom’s sound is still that of a young band and will undoubtably be refined as they continue to grow, In Passing is a fantastic record as a complete work about loss and the grief that’s felt by the passing of a loved one.

STANDOUT TRACKS: The Boat and The Stream, Daylight, In Passing
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