REVIEW: Passionflower - Debut Album ‘To Bloom Is To Grow’
In 2017, Kyle Richardson-Nickle set out to have his voice heard. Nearly five years later, he’s releasing his truly nostalgic post-emo album to the masses. And the 2021 post(ish) pandemic world feels like the perfect place for To Bloom Is To Grow to make an impact.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Passionflower sounds like they were formed in 2004 and fell through a wormhole to end up in 2021. They have a raw, post-hardcore emo sound that will likely remind you of shopping in Hot Topic and updating your Top 8. It’s a sound that has become increasingly rare as time has gone on- but is a welcome return to the scene of days past. The first track, “Perchance To Dream…” sets up the delightfully angsty mood of the rest of the album. “Your love is a drug,” Richardson-Nickle shouts, “I was addicted from the moment we kissed.”
Photo by Sarah Sidwell
This is an album about love. It doesn’t focus on the world events of the past two years. It touches on topics of addiction and mental health- staples of the genre— but those stories are still framed in the context of love. The good, the bad, and the ugly of falling in and being in love. “Picture Perfect,” the first single from the album, is just about being with someone you’re supposed to be with. The hook- the catchiest on the album- talks about how “loving you is as easy as breathing.” It’s the kind of song you can scream in your car when you’re happy, or play it in your room when you’re sad to feel better.
“Joel and Clementine,” and “Hollow,” are almost as catchy as “Picture Perfect,” but deal with different aspects of love. The former is about dealing with addiction within a relationship and learning to move on, while the latter deals with longing for support from a partner. The lyrics are incredibly relatable. I mean… “Maybe I’m a fool for thinking I could save you,” is something that’s gone through all of our heads at some point.
Sonically, the album feels familiar. It sounds warm and full. Pop-punk drum beats combine with layered guitars and bridges of dirty vocals to revive a sound we’ve been missing. It’s very Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. It’s emo— and not the ultra produced, highly commercialized, featuring Travis Barker emo of today’s airwaves.
It’s everything the scene used to be.
And that’s a great thing.