Melbourne singer-songwriter Cascade Bloom is "a bit of a perfectionist" in the studio and it shows with his latest multi-layered single 'The Ride'.
‘The Ride’ sees Cascade Bloom (James Liesching) embrace the anthemic potential of Britpop, launching from a tight 12-string acoustic base into uplifting electric-guitar riffs and dreamy vocals that pack a lot of punch.
A bedroom producer, Bloom’s lyrics carry emotional weight and his music easily transcends indie-rock’s common pitfalls. He’s been gigging at the usual spots around Melbourne since 2019 with live band-mates Oscar and Rehn: “You can expect our shows to get pretty loud,” he says, “as it’s not unusual for us to crank up the distortion pedals and yell into the mics.”
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“When I first recorded the song I felt like it was missing something, so that’s when I added the main electric guitar riff that you hear in the intro and the outro, and I think that part really elevated the song,” he continues.
“Some of the lyrics are quite introspective, but I tried to balance them with uplifting chord progressions and melodies.
“With lyrics such as “time won’t hesitate”, “everything’s changing” and “the ride has just begun”, the song explores themes relating to time, which I’ve always enjoyed writing about as everyone can relate to change and growth.
“It took me quite a while to record and mix the song as I’m a bit of a perfectionist in the studio, but I’m always learning and discovering new ways to record and produce music.”
‘The Ride’ is Bloom’s first single in over a year, after a series of four singles between 2018 and 2020 culminated in his eponymous debut EP in 2020, which dabbled in synths and myriad electronic influences.
