Larkin Poe: Bloom Review

Larkin Poe’s new record Bloom, from 2 Def Pig Publishing, hits shelves Friday January 24th. Hot off their Grammy for Blood Harmony, Larkin Poe is a genre-bending act, made up of two sisters, Rebecca and Megan Lovell. On Bloom, the Lovells are backed up by a stellar band: Tarka Layman on electric bass, Caleb Crosby on drums, Tyler Bryant on backing guitars and bass, Michael Webb on the B3 organ, and Elenor Denig On Strings. The Lovell sisters themselves provide vocals, guitar, dobro, and lap steel.

According to the sisters, every song on Bloom is the result of collaboration with Bryant, also a co-producer. The result is a fun record about authenticity and personal growth with plenty of country and ‘70s rock influence.

The three opening tracks of the record are “Mockingbird,” “Easy Love Part 1,” and “Little Bit.” These tunes feature nice country-vibe riffs, empowering messages, and catchy hooks accompanied by traditional blues rock guitar riffs. There’s nothing wrong with these three tracks, but they are outshone by the quality of the middle third of the album. The differences in style between parts one and two of “Easy Love” make for a fun dichotomy: part one is a fun bubbly pop rocky-y meet cute story about the early stages of a new romantic flame, and part two is a more mature take on a love song with strong ’60s R&B influences.

The first big home run on the album is “Bluephoria,” opening with a headbanger chuggy riff and marked by a cool ‘70s-style call and response structure. It’s one of two 10/10 tracks on the record, with a ton of replayability The next perfect track is “If God Is a Woman,” which feels equal parts heavy, foreboding, and sexy. Almost heavy metal, the track uses religious motifs to give it a sense of scale and grandeur to help highlight how big and powerful lust can feel. For me, it’s the stand-out track on the record.

“Pearls” is another instant classic, a gritty rock anthem with a fun organ part about personal authenticity. The other tracks on the record worth noting, “You Are the River,” “Bloom Again,” and “Nowhere Fast,” are eclectic, ranging from inspirational and empowering to smooth and serious, to playful and raucous. Again, there’s nothing wrong with these songs, but the sheer quality of “Bluephoria” and “If God Is a Woman” overshadow the rest of the album.

I found myself repeatedly noting how much I was enjoying the lap steel, organ, and violin parts on Bloom, each doing a big lift towards making the record feel as big and cohesive as it does. The only real flaw in the record is that two of the tracks near the midpoint vastly outweigh the first and final thirds. The final verdict is that the album is great, with a couple far and away hits, and it’s easy to see why Larkin Poe continues to build a reputation as a fun and engaging band.

The Review: 8/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Bluephori
– Pearls
– If God Is a Woman

The Big Hit

– If God Is a Woman