Bluphoria ‘Bluphoria’ Review: Nashville rockers bring good vibes on blues-flavored debut.
Nashville’s Bluphoria have had a swift ascendance in their short time together. Forming in 2019, the quartet (Reign LaFreniere (lead vocalist and lead guitarist), Dakota Landrum (rhythm guitar, background vocals), bassist/background vocalist Rex Wolf, and drummer Dani Janae) signed to Edgeout Records/Ume/UMG in early 2021.
And the culmination of their rise is evident in their self-titled debut album (out May 5).
The release, produced by Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Fleetwood Mac) is timed perfectly for summer, with a balmy and breezy feel that’s juxtaposed against more melancholic lyrics: an interesting contrast.
It kicks off with Set Me Up, a garage rock banger that recalls The Romantics with the funk stabs oof Bruno Mars’ Locked Out of Heaven for an intriguing mix of dynamics and tonalities.
Believe In Love is a ska-fueled romantic travelogue (“Heading back from California”), while Walk Through The Fire combines jangle pop with abrasive post-punk guitar figures, all propelled by Janae’s strident drumming and urgent energy.
LaFreniere is a magnetic presence throughout, his voice possessing an elastic, soaring quality that befits the material, be it the gentle surf-rock vibes of Pretty People, Something More’s indie guitar pop, or the dirty disco funk of Let You Go, one of the album’s many standouts.
Bluphoria, as one might expect from the name of band/album, leans heavy on the blues: the gritty Columbia sees the band at their most sexy and sullen, while the heartache-fueled single Ain’t Got Me combines R&B with alt-90’s rock bombast, putting melodies reminiscent of Sublime and Weezer into a blender. But it all results in a concoction that is the band’s unique melange.
Bluphoria’s cross-pollination of various genres results in new and exciting musical shapes, culminating in compositions like album closer Ms. Jones, an acoustic ballad augmented by jazzy textures and bittersweet melody,
Given the high quality of this album, and the band’s recent signing to the same management company as The Rolling Stones, it’s clear that Bluphoria’s ascent will continue. Your summer soundtrack album has arrived.