Loma – “Black Willow”

If winter feels like interior drama — the sound of your breath and your thoughts amplified by thick headwear over your ears — then Loma soundtrack the season with music of startling cinematic intimacy. A project featuring Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater vocalist and occasional SIO columnist), and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski (of Cross Record), Loma use a broad array of instrumentation and dynamics to create a clarifying, minimal music. Witness “Black Willow,” a track pulled taut over a spell-binding vocal.

Loma’s self-titled new album presents ten tracks of distinct, vivid interiors. With an insistent, sinewy rhythm, “Relay Runner” is a kind of chill work-out jam, and yet it offers no hint of what the rest of the album holds in store. (Okay, I’m hearing the thick atmosphere of producer Mitchell Froom’s adventurous 1990s albums with Suzanne Vega, Cibo Matto, and the Latin Playboys.) From acoustic guitars and string arrangements to machine rhythms and found sounds, anything goes on Loma, the sound of three creative themselves immersing themselves in the secrets their songs hide.

Loma is out now on Sub Pop Records.

LOMA ON TOUR:
Fri. Apr. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Sun. Apr. 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg
Wed. Apr. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Fri. Apr. 13 – Portland, OR @ MS Studios
Sat. Apr. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
Tue. Apr. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
Thu. April 19 – Taos, NM @ Taos Mesa Brewing
Sat. Apr. 21 – Austin, TX @ North Door
Thu. April 26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Fri. April 27 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Sat. April 28 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room
Tue. May 1 – Charlottesville, NC @ The Southern
Wed. May 2 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Fri. May 4 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Sat. May 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Sun. May 6 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Tue. May 8 – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco
Wed. May 9 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison
Thu. May 10 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx
Fri. May 11 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Fri. May 25 – Kortrijk, BE @ De Kreun
Sat. May 26 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (London Calling)
Sun. May 27 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Wed. May 30 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope
Thu. May 31 – London, UK @ Lexington
Fri. June 1 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
Sun. June 3 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers
Mon. June 4 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House
Tue. June 5 – Glasgow, UK @ Hug and Pint
Thu. June 7 – Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s
Fri. June 8 – Liverpool, UK @ Buyers Club