Sometimes an album connects with you from the first note, firing off the neurons in your brain that make you immediately fall fast. Others take a little longer. When I hit play on In Bloom, the debut EP from Maggie Slater, I thought it was lovely stuff. Nice and folky, the sort of pleasant music that would provide a good background for my morning work. But I didn’t get those neurons firing. Not right away.
Then I heard “Ballerina,” a poignant song about not feeling good enough in a relationship, about being lifted up by others and discovering your self-worth. It changed everything. I got it, and suddenly Maggie Slater’s music moved from the background into focus.
“Ballerina” is a standout song, but the whole of EP is really something special. It paints a moving portrait of a woman coming to terms with herself and her relationships with other people. It’s unflinchingly intimate, with lyrics that often feel like diary confessions, from the playful “Time Warp” and “Dog” to heavier moments in “Ballerina” and “I Want You.” “Grow” is the perfect closer, a track which encapsulates the EP’s theme of evolving and being “in bloom.”
Maggie Slater’s music suggests that so many of us, she’s still figuring it out. However, that’s precisely why it resonated so deeply with me. It’s very easy to appreciate her music on a surface level; she sings like a bird and her folk-pop-rock sound is very accessible. However, she’s also proved herself to be a master storyteller with a knack for crafting lyrics that really speak to the heart. In Bloom is a beautiful debut from this exciting singer-songwriter from Far North Queensland.
In Bloom is available on all your favourite digital platforms now. Catch her at the Neck of the Woods Music Festival in Townsville on June 29 and 30.
Image used with permission from Hot Off the Press