SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LUCY KRUGER & THE LOST BOYS – PALE BLOOM

LUCY KRUGER & THE LOST BOYS
PALE BLOOM
UNIQUE RECORDS

Pale Bloom is the seventh album from Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys and their first since 2024’s A Human Home. Pale Bloom, in many ways, picks up where that album left off. It is not a repeat, but rather a continuation musically and lyrically. On Pale Bloom the band takes a turn into childhood and the impact over the years. The Lost Boys, on this album, are Liú Mottes on guitar, Jean-Louise Parker on voice and strings, Gidon Carmel on drums, and Reuben Kemp on bass. Kruger plays guitar and sings.

Pale Bloom opens with “Bloom,” which features the old childhood rhyme, “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,” but at this point, it seems to take a bit of a darker turn. Which is quite fitting. “Bloom” opens Pale Bloom which brings to mind things learned as children that stay with us for life. The music is shoegaze and it is the perfect soundtrack. The second song, “Damp,” has Kruger’s vocals sound somewhat laboured, which adds to the effect. “Ambient Heat,” which follows, reverts the listener back to a child, but not in any happy way.

One of the most intriguing songs on the album is “Ghost,” which, with the mellow melody and easy rhythm, lulls the listener into a false sense of security. “Ghosts” is not so much scary as it is sad. “Woolf” is a sort of tribute or love song for Virginia Woolf, who committed suicide by drowning. “She went to the water/I love her stories.” It is an interesting song and not the standard tribute song to a writer/artist. But Kruger makes it fitting for the author, with help from her band, The Lost Boys.

Pale Bloom is a slow burner of an album. Kruger & The Lost Boys let the songs roll out in their own time. She works well with The Lost Boys, who provide her with a great backing. The Lost Boys allow space within the band’s sound. It is not a grinding band, but more akin to The Cocteau Twins than other, heavier shoegaze bands. The songs are arranged sparsely, and Kruger’s vocals fit the arrangements perfectly. Pale Bloom is a very unique album and one that is very accessible, if one is willing to give it a chance.

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