Late Bloomer – “Heaven”
It’s been almost four years since Late Bloomer’s last album — 2014’s promising Things Change — and if their new album is any indication, they’ve spent that time away well. Next month, the North Carolina trio will release Waiting, their third full-length, and it’s a big step up. The band teamed up with indie super-producer Justin Pizzoferrato for it, and their egalitarian songwriting process pays off, with each of its three members working together to craft an album that’s as conceptually knotty as it is musically invigorating.
Lead single “Heaven” finds the band wallowing in a state of questioning the in-between. “If I make it to heaven, does it really matter?” goes the chorus, the title word sounding like another dead-end in Neil Mauney’s mouth, just like everything else. “If I crawl on the floor again, does it really matter?” Both results feel like the same when you’re down in the dumps, but “Heaven” combats that pessimism with a chiming chorus, arcing up just when you’d expect it to turn down. “All of us are going to die/ No sense in stressing about the time/ Time is all we have to do it right,” he sings a little earlier, focusing all that confusion over what it all means into trying to make the best of what we have, regardless of whether it all matters or not.
Listen below.
TOUR DATES:
05/12 Boone, NC @ Boone Saloon
05/25 Greenville, SC @ Radio Room
05/26 Atlanta, GA @ 529 (matinee)
06/09 Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s
06/29 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
07/02 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
07/04 Providence, RI @ Revival Fest
07/05 Boston, MA @ O’Briens*^
07/06 Ogunquit, ME @ Leavitt Theatre*
07/07 Burlington, VT @ Speaking Volumes*
07/08 Northampton, MA @ 13th Floor*^
07/09 Brooklyn, NY @ Kingsland
07/10 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
07/12 Johnson City, TN @ The Hideaway
07/13 Lexington, KY @ Best Friend Bar
07/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Blockhouse
07/15 Milwaukee, WI @ High Dive
07/16 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
07/17 Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits Lounge
07/18 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
07/21 Winston Salem, NC @ Monstercade
10/26-28 Gainesville, FL @ The Fest
* w/ Fucko
^ w/ Kindling
Waiting is out 6/29 via 6131 Records. Pre-order it here.