Album: Bloom & Breathe
Band: Gates
Record Label: Pure Noise Records
Release Date: October 21, 2014
For Fans Of: Circa Survive, As Tall As Lions, As Cities Burn, Cinematic Sunrise, Cursive
Score: 9/10
Take a moment to slow down and put your life on pause. We know you’re busy -- we’re all busy -- but right now there’s only one thing you need to do. Sit down, close your eyes, and let Gates’ debut album Bloom & Breathe whisk you away with moments of existential angst layered between minimalistic instrumentals and thought provoking lyrics. This is an album that deserves to be experienced, not just listened to.
Think I’m bluffing? Press play and let the interlude, “Everything That Has Ever Been” speak for me. The fluid and dynamic nature of Bloom & Breathe proves that Gates has been hard at work refining their sound since the 2013 release of their EP You Are All You Have Left To Fear. With the help of
producer Mike Watts (As Tall As Lions, As Cities Burn), the New Jersey natives’ debut album achieves a much more continuous and cohesive quality than the band’s previous releases. At the heart of it, the album truly encapsulates the nature of its title. Each song blooms and breathes as if it were alive, garnering the listener’s attention and persuading you to linger in the moment and
take in everything that surrounds you.
Despite the fact that Dan King, Ethan Koozer, and lead vocalist Kevin Dye each pick up a guitar at some point during the album, Bloom & Breathe maintains a minimalistic, yet intricate, instrumental quality. One would think that having three guitarists is simply absurd, but each riff actually
tends to highlight the next as they interweave to create the rich, awe-inspiring atmosphere that surrounds Dye’s soothing voice. By playing around with different rhythms and manipulating their instruments to incorporate various effects, Gates’ sound ranges from heartbreakingly beautiful
acoustic tracks like “Marrow” to heavier, more dismal songs like “At Last The Loneliest Of Them.”
Addressing struggles that are both personal and universal, Bloom & Breathe takes a philosophical turn lyrically. Kevin Dye explains that when he was writing the lyrics for this album he was “grappling with the meaning of life and what you can possibly do to feel like you’re actually living instead of letting everything pass you by.” This introspective outlook begs listeners to
contemplate their existence as well as the world around them. In the song Bloom, Dye desperately sings “we’re all born bearing the weight of time, we all live clamoring to survive, and we all die longing to feel alive.” This same concept is echoed again in Not My Blood with the line “everything
I have within me is just waiting to start again.” It is this longing sense of self discovery that drives the lyrics and adds a much deeper level of meaning to Bloom & Breathe.
This album is the soundtrack to a 4:00am sunrise. It’s the rainy afternoon spent curled up in bed sipping tea. It’s the cathartic release and the philosophical dialogue you’ve been longing for, so relax, press play and let the music take you.
Band: Gates
Record Label: Pure Noise Records
Release Date: October 21, 2014
For Fans Of: Circa Survive, As Tall As Lions, As Cities Burn, Cinematic Sunrise, Cursive
Score: 9/10
Take a moment to slow down and put your life on pause. We know you’re busy -- we’re all busy -- but right now there’s only one thing you need to do. Sit down, close your eyes, and let Gates’ debut album Bloom & Breathe whisk you away with moments of existential angst layered between minimalistic instrumentals and thought provoking lyrics. This is an album that deserves to be experienced, not just listened to.
Think I’m bluffing? Press play and let the interlude, “Everything That Has Ever Been” speak for me. The fluid and dynamic nature of Bloom & Breathe proves that Gates has been hard at work refining their sound since the 2013 release of their EP You Are All You Have Left To Fear. With the help of
producer Mike Watts (As Tall As Lions, As Cities Burn), the New Jersey natives’ debut album achieves a much more continuous and cohesive quality than the band’s previous releases. At the heart of it, the album truly encapsulates the nature of its title. Each song blooms and breathes as if it were alive, garnering the listener’s attention and persuading you to linger in the moment and
take in everything that surrounds you.
Despite the fact that Dan King, Ethan Koozer, and lead vocalist Kevin Dye each pick up a guitar at some point during the album, Bloom & Breathe maintains a minimalistic, yet intricate, instrumental quality. One would think that having three guitarists is simply absurd, but each riff actually
tends to highlight the next as they interweave to create the rich, awe-inspiring atmosphere that surrounds Dye’s soothing voice. By playing around with different rhythms and manipulating their instruments to incorporate various effects, Gates’ sound ranges from heartbreakingly beautiful
acoustic tracks like “Marrow” to heavier, more dismal songs like “At Last The Loneliest Of Them.”
Addressing struggles that are both personal and universal, Bloom & Breathe takes a philosophical turn lyrically. Kevin Dye explains that when he was writing the lyrics for this album he was “grappling with the meaning of life and what you can possibly do to feel like you’re actually living instead of letting everything pass you by.” This introspective outlook begs listeners to
contemplate their existence as well as the world around them. In the song Bloom, Dye desperately sings “we’re all born bearing the weight of time, we all live clamoring to survive, and we all die longing to feel alive.” This same concept is echoed again in Not My Blood with the line “everything
I have within me is just waiting to start again.” It is this longing sense of self discovery that drives the lyrics and adds a much deeper level of meaning to Bloom & Breathe.
This album is the soundtrack to a 4:00am sunrise. It’s the rainy afternoon spent curled up in bed sipping tea. It’s the cathartic release and the philosophical dialogue you’ve been longing for, so relax, press play and let the music take you.
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Original Post: http://altrocklive.com/reviews/cd/gates-bloom-breathe/347/ |