EP Review: lotusbliss - 'An Aching Sea'
lotusbliss, the indie-electro trio of brothers, release their newest EP ‘An Aching Sea’, harnessing a melodic brotherhood in dream-pop tracks crammed full of harmonies only the vocal similarity of siblings can truly blend together.
Having been compared to artists such as Amber Run, Wolf Alice, and Foals, the band from Canterbury, Kent are making waves in the indie scene. Now with the aptly named EP, ‘An Aching Sea’, brothers Josh, Seth, and Adam continue to hypnotise in their creation of a uniquely spellbinding soundscape.
The most recent EP is the result of a relationship entwined by creating and making music in a completely unapologetically experimental situation. With the benefit of creating from childhood, no idea was too much to share for the close-knit brothers, and has subsequently created their discography, dating back to 2018, in which the idea to start lotusbliss began.
Crafting their debut single, ‘Beautiful Monotone’ took over a year. The cinematic and vivid sound was released in 2019. With similar tones to the artist, ‘Daughter’ through the trio’s use of dramatic harmonisation, and crisp instrumentals which rise and fall in synchronisation with their classical-trained vocal melodies, all to create a track full of depth both audibly and symbolically.
Since then, lotusbliss have received notability from Earmilk, Atwood Magazine and PRS’ M Magazine, as well as BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson and BBC Introducing Kent. Now, with ‘An Aching Sea’ officially released, that list is set to increase.
The five-track EP drops us in a dreamy soundscape, in a tightly-produced land full of the woes of love, loss, and all that is in between. The single, and opening track of the EP, “Unwired” kicks off the fairy-tale feel as the track opens on synthy guitar riffs which play into, “When you leap down the rabbit hole, you’ll need a different exit. If you’re in a waking dream, stare down the barrel of an aching sea.” As the haunting harmonies pour over the sound and seascape, the band explain, “this song is about being present, about recognising that life is a gift and it's there to be embraced but easily gets stolen. So often we miss the beauty of simple things around us, focused on progressing to the next big thing ahead; the future fool's gold.”
The dream-like wading then crashes into the first single released from the EP, ‘Nightshade’. The poignant guitar-held rhythm grasps the track, keeping the rhythm as the defeated spill of emotional lyricism cries out, “I wish we never laid eyes on each other at all.”
The melancholy mood meddles its way into the final single from the EP, ‘Dust’, as the lyrics rattle, “How the hell did I get here?” reminiscent of the 2016 Amber Run album, ‘5AM’ with lo-fi guitar riffs and heartbreaking harmonies.
‘A Million (With Regret)’ and ‘Until Now’ end the EP on a sombre note. Siren-sounding synths create hallucinations of blinding lighthouses streaming light over a vapid sea. The beat pounds in, acting as the life-force to the rocking waves below. What seemed empty on the surface is suddenly delved into and explored, drums beating, heart pounding, we are tossed in the instrumental whirlpool, and sputtered onto the craggy shore as the track closes on the vocal harmonies we have grown accustomed to over the lifespan of the EP.
This is no small feat for the trio, coming a long way from their debut in 2020, 'A Good Death is a Beautiful Thing', which included singles ‘Beautiful Monotone’, and ‘Carpet’, and additional tracks, ‘Clarity (4am)’, and ‘A Good Death’.
This was followed by their 2021 EP, ‘Bittersweet’ included tracks ‘Cedar’ and ‘Reculver’, with singles ‘The Horror’ and ‘Thunder In The Room’ landing placements on both Spotify’s Fresh Finds Indie and Fresh Finds Rock playlists.
With an indie-rock and blended dream-pop style, the sound of lotusbliss combines ambient soundscapes, high-octane guitar, raw and love-bitten lyricism with heartbreakingly beautiful melodies. But, the brother’s main power can only be described as their melodic brotherhood, managing to keep a consistent sound through their years of songwriting to elicit pure harmonised emotion that seems to be harnessed more powerfully as the years go on.
Words by Jemma Levine
