By Anwaya Mane
Revisiting one’s work after a significant time has passed is like flipping through dusty old pages of a photo album. The faint smell of crumpled old sheets, the raw textures of melodies long forgotten, and lingering echoes of old stories. Music, like emotions, lives within us, in our hearts, and is pressed into our cells, flowing through our veins. I have chosen to write about Cardinal Bloom’s first EP, Glow, released in 2019.
The indie/alternative rock band is made up of Joey St. John (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Thomas (lead guitar), Jacob Silvester (vocals, bass), and Nathan Adair (drums). I dive into the record first, consciously holding myself back from listening to any of their other albums so as not to influence my first listen to Glow.
The music is evocative and redolent of a band’s first official release, especially to a first-time listener like me. Every track has a story of its own, like a journey within the album’s stratosphere. Some songs oozed confidence, others delivered a much-needed catharsis, and a few carried a quiet charm.
I think it is a genius stroke of an idea to have two songs titled “Anxiety” and “Reality” on the same album. Because in some way, reality is the opposite of anxiety. While anxiety is a natural feeling of worry or fear about events and possibilities that are not real or have not occurred yet, reality is the feeling of being lived in, of what is actually happening. In a way, they are two sides of the same coin, not because they are the same, but because anxiety refracts reality.
I can imagine it can be both difficult and therapeutic to release a song titled “Anxiety,” battling through your own web of overthinking, worries, and recurring self-doubt. However, Cardinal Bloom coats deeply introspective and thoughtful lyrics with a joyful melody punctuated by an addictive, finger-tapping rhythm and orchestra-like instrumentation that uplifts the song while grounding it in the realness it aims to convey.
On the other hand, “Reality” is peppy and more anthemic in its presentation style. It is the kind of sing-along song where everyone will be up on their feet, singing their hearts out hoarsely at a concert. The vocals are solid on this one, probably the best on the album.
What works is Cardinal Bloom’s conviction in their concept, music, lyrics, and execution. This conviction carries through the album with unmatched confidence, belief, and a deep understanding of the emotional world they have established throughout. The song titles and their placement are both deliberate and detail-oriented.
Cardinal Bloom has deeply melancholic and introspective lyrics dressed in groovy and cinematic tunes, making it ready for a concert-enthusiastic audience.
As someone who has never even been to Utah, something about the band’s name piqued my interest. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Cardinal flower is a North American lobelia (Lobelia Cardinalis) that bears a spike of brilliant red flowers.” These flowers grow best in shallow waters and damp conditions.
A quick Google search indicates that cardinal flowers can grow in Utah, but they are not native to the area. They may require additional care to create the ideal environment for the flowers to blossom into their full potential. In a symbolic sense, we listen to and make music that is native to us, as well as some that may not be indigenous but thrives in the right atmosphere.
Cardinal Bloom straddles both worlds—native and foreign—with the eagerness and commitment of a newcomer as well as the ease and confidence of a seasoned artist, creating music for TikTok virality as much as the timelessness of the legacy they intend to leave behind.
Make sure to follow Cardinal Bloom on Instagram. You can listen to the title track, “Glow,” below!