Montreal’s A World In Bloom is set to unveil their second EP on January 19, 2024. Emerging amidst the pandemic, this ensemble first made waves with a debut EP that was a tapestry of diverse sonic textures and instrumental finesse.
The group, featuring alumni from Red Skies and Projekt Revolution – a Linkin Park tribute act – has recently broadened its sound with the introduction of a vocalist.
Their forthcoming eponymous EP represents a pivotal evolution for A World In Bloom, steering away from their purely instrumental origins. Promising a more sophisticated and evolved sound, this release is a testament to the band’s ongoing artistic maturation and venture into uncharted musical domains.
Montreal Rocks caught up with the band to find out more about their musical journey so far.
1. How did you all meet and decide to form a band?
All the members of A World In Bloom come from different circles of friends, but we are all joined together by one member, our lead guitarist Charlie. Charlie and Julian (bass) first got together in high school, playing in their first band together. Max (drums) and Greg (rhythm guitars) have a similar story, meeting in high school and joining and playing in their first band together. Charlie and Max formed Red Skies and played together with that band for many years. A few years after Red Skies disbanded, Charlie and Max decided to start a new project, recruiting an old friend, Greg on rhythm guitar, followed by Julian on bass. The band started with the intention of having a vocalist, but since we were still searching for our sound in the thick of the COVID 19 pandemic, decided to release the first EP solely as an instrumental record. Shortly after releasing the EP in 2022, the band recruited a long time friend of Charlie, Emile, on vocals. A year later, with new music and an EP ready to release, the new line-up is in full force!
2. What’s the story behind your band’s name?
After playing around with many different ideas proposed by the band members, we would always come back to the initial idea of having the word “bloom” in the title. We didn’t know how to incorporate the word in the context of a band name, but finally the band name “A World In Bloom” was brought up and well received. Subconsciously, the idea came from the idea that eventually the world would go back to normal after the pandemic, almost as if it was reborn, surviving a great challenge it brought many of us. It was also representative of a new musical project that was coming to life for all members of the band, most of whom had taken a break from playing in bands for some time.
3. Who are your major musical influences, and how do they shape your sound?
We all have an extensive pallet when it comes down to our influences and style. Some of us come from more classical backgrounds, while some of us draw on heavier styles of music, but one common musical influence we have derives from music we all grew up listening to when we were young. We all grew up during the 90s and early 2000s, listening to music that came out of the grunge movement, like Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters, and Billy Talent. That said, our influences go much deeper, finding a lot of influence in classic hard rock and heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, as well as synth-based music such as Tears For Fears all the way to alternative pop rock bands like Coldplay and many others.
4. How would you describe your musical style to someone who has never heard your music?
The best way to describe our musical style to someone without getting technical would be to see it like a Bob Ross painting: There are many elements that, on their own, don’t really work, but when you look at the picture as a whole, all the little intricate details that were put in to make the picture what it is finally start to make sense. Our music is very much like that. We use a lot of layering in our compositions and love combining sounds in a creative way, so there are a lot of elements and influences that are drawn from different styles, but as a whole, it creates our sound, which is ever-evolving and constantly being refined.
5. Can you walk us through your songwriting process? How do you usually start a song?
Because the band was formed at the peak of the pandemic, a lot of our music started off being written from our own private quarters. We would send each other sound clips, videos, or brief explanations of an idea we had, and then we would build it up from there, sending ideas back and forth until we were satisfied with a strong foundation for a song. Once we were able to see each other and start practicing, we would play the songs together, feel them out and discuss together if we liked it, or if anyone had some suggestions of things we could try to alter the song and make it better. To this day, we find this method of writing to be the most effective for us.
6. Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the creative zone?
As far as rituals or habits go for getting into a creative mindset, we generally like to play the music that we wrote in person altogether and feel out the songs. Sometimes an idea comes up and it looks good on paper, but getting together to play them is the ultimate test. So, for us, feeling out a song idea helps us brainstorm and fine-tune the music. Sometimes just listening to the music together in the same room and taking notes helps the creativity flow, and starts the process of breaking down the songs into sections and finding a good balance.
7. Tell us about your EP. What was the inspiration behind it?
A lot of the music was written by the 4 instrumentalists during their time as an instrumental band but was shelved for future releases due to an ongoing debate we had on whether we wanted to continue as an instrumental band, or pursue our future with a vocalist. When we decided on the latter and Emile was recruited, that is when the songs really took flight. Emile was the last piece of the puzzle we needed; that was right in front of us, and we didn’t even know. He elevated the songs with his lyrics and lyrical themes ranging from real and relatable themes like being under pressure or scrutiny from society, overcoming adversity, or embracing pain due to loss.
8. How has the reception to your music been so far?
The reception to the new music we’ve released has been very good, to our surprise. We started this band as a pastime and an excuse to get together and play music and hang out. We never expected our music to be so well received and were privileged that our music has made it out of our social circles and has been heard in other parts of the country and even other parts of the world. We constantly monitor our analytics, and we are always in awe of how many people enjoy what we are doing. The feedback has been great and has given us motivational fuel to keep us going.
9. What has been your most memorable live performance so far?
Still being a relatively new band, we have yet to perform live. Of course, shows are in discussion for the near future, and we can’t wait to play live! We’ve all played live shows before, so we’re excited to finally be able to scratch that itch once the new EP comes out, and we can broadcast our music to people who are willing to come out and share the experience with us.
10. What are your short-term and long-term goals as a band?
Our short-term goals would be to play live shows and promote our new music as much as possible. When we’re not playing shows, we’re thinking of other outlets to get our content exposed in the public. Our long-term goals would be to continue making new music, refining our sound, and always finding new ways to expand and broaden our musical pallets, and find new ways to connect with our audience.
11. Are there any dream venues or festivals where you aspire to perform?
We would love to play shows hosted by well-known establishments like Heavy MTL because of all the great bands that come to Montreal and play shows here. We all grew up watching some of our favourite bands come to town and play shows at some of our favourite venues. Venues like M-Telus, L’Olympia, or even Place Bell, amongst many others. When you’ve seen some of your favourite bands play at a venue in your city, the venue finds a special place in your heart, and playing a show knowing you’re standing in the same place as some of your heroes doing the same thing brings sentimental value to playing a show, not to mention the fact that large crowds are always an amazing source of feedback and energy.
12. What are some of your favourite albums or artists currently?
We all listen to such different styles of rock and music in general, but it’s safe to say we all have a shared love for acts like Holding Absence, Nothing But Thieves, Parkway Drive, and Boston Manor, amongst many others. We’re constantly sending each other new music and older songs alike in the hopes of showing each other something that some of us may have never heard.
13. Can you recommend another Montreal artist or band that more people should listen to?
Though MTL has a TON of awesome talent, one of the well-kept local secrets is Housefly Hum. They’re another relatively new band, but should definitely give people a feeling of familiarity in their unique take on classic hard rock music. Their music can cater to listeners of any age, old or young, and they are such a great group of guys also. We have such talented musicians and bands here in Montreal, and Housefly Hum is not a band that should fall under anyone’s radar.
