To Bloom – “Marionette” (Feat. Joey Holiday) [Song Review]

This debut single from To Bloom demands attention from the moment it starts. The guitar and rhythm sections aren’t so much notation as they are a wild palette, a kaleidoscope of ideas, waves, vibrations. The melodies on display are more than just ideas to choose from, however – the band’s soaring vocals and technical riffs somehow lure the listener into its own private sphere of beauty, chaos, and despondency.

What’s most alluring about this little track is how chock-full it is with great notions. It has a whirlwind of ideas, and never stops to settle down. It’s prog-rock by way of Circa Survive and The Mars Volta, but on a sugar rush. That sounds like it would be insufferable, and you would be wrong. Most prog tracks run the risk of grating, much like other long-winded genres – nothing could be further from the case on this particular single. Instead, we have an EP’s worth of arrangement compressed into a singular track bursting with vibrancy.

The band’s sound could be tragic if we weren’t living in such confined times; instead, right now, it’s the kind of bittersweet histrionics that serve to salve the cracked skein of our collective desire to get lost. It’s exactly the kind of exuberant, bombastic melody we need right now.

Run Time: 5:10
Release Date: April 17, 2020
Record Label: Self-Released