New Jersey five piece Gates‘ debut full-length Bloom & Breathe is truly something special. This is one of those albums that will impact you and will linger in your mind for many years. The cinematic, instrumental opening track ‘Everything That Has Ever Been’ left us holding our breaths admiring the beauty. It feels like a constant build up of epic. For those of you who’ve seen The Perks of Being A Wallflower, you’ll understand when we say this euphoric tune would fit nicely replacing “the tunnel song”. When you’re that mesmerised from the beginning, you know this album will be a good one.
As it slowly rolls into ‘Bloom’, our high expectations are not let down. There’s a gradual progression within the album and each track doesn’t fail to please. One of the high points being ‘At Last The Loneliest of Them’; showcasing Gates’ versatility. It interlaces the ethereal atmosphere we have heard so far with desperate aggression. With intricate lyrics; soft guitars and a strong rhythm section, Gates’ songs have a way of hitting right in the feels. There’s just something about the simple, yet poetic nature of lyricist Kevin Dye‘s words: take “I can’t be the one who can save you from yourself,” in ‘The Thing That Would Save You’ or “We all die longing to feel alive,” in ‘Born Dead’.
The beauty of this album is that it does the impossible task of both breaking your heart and mending it at the same time. It’s almost hard to believe that it is the band’s debut full-length as they’ve hit the nail right in the head. In years to come, this will be one of those records you look back at and call a classic. Close your eyes, give Bloom & Breathe a spin; that’s all you really need.
