A band only about 6 months old, Déjà Bloom, is really onto something.
Established last summer in Dallas, Texas, after a chance encounter and an impromptu jam at a tattoo convention (yes, really!), the band, comprised of frontman Braden Keefer, guitarist Kasem Abdullah, Andrew Ehrlich on drums, and Mike O’Brien on bass, released their debut single.
Redacted is a touching pop punk/emo-infused tale of someone coming to terms with a cancer diagnosis. As a result, the song sounds like a struggle. Lyrics like ‘You hate when I speak in psycho-analytics / So I bite my tongue and let it go / Nervously internally pacing / though you try not to let it show’ conjure images of pain and sadness that we as listeners absolutely feel. It’s as though we’ve been there and lived through it. Which, of course, way too many of us have – with cancer being an all-too-common problem these days. It’s a lyrical gut punch, and, with the addition of Johnny Marr-like guitars – at some stages – the sonics are very much on point as well. Together, they make quite an impact.
There’s an undertone of sadness that permeates the whole thing – quite understandably – but at the same time, there are undeniable glimmers of positivity throughout. “And I meant what I said / As you’re daydreaming from that hospital bed / of being young, and wild and cancer free” is a particularly moving moment. We can only hope that is what ultimately transpired.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
