Lilac Shadows first debuted in 2013, an “ominous shoegaze” quartet fronted by Sam Logan. Since then, the psych-rock band has made on-and-off appearances, finding no shortage of ominous material with a news cycle saturated by Trump (and everything that has followed since Trump). The band’s most recent—and final—release, The Other Side of Night, had lighter touches, but the music’s existential disposition had begun to feel synonymous with its dark, post-punk sound, Logan says. 

“Once the pandemic hit, I really had the time to sit and think about what kind of music I wanted to make—or allow myself to make. The influences for Lilac Shadows were always pretty narrow, but I love so many different artists that I never would let find their way into my own writing. But after I wrote the song “Matters of Time” (the only demo I’ve released so far) after hearing this really beautiful Weyes Blood song, I realized how nice it was to do something so completely different from Lilac, and I let myself start exploring new sounds and ideas.”

After this revelation came Nightblooms, Logan’s new band, and as many as 17 songs, some of which will end up on the Nightblooms record, which Logan is recording in June, and which will come out on local label Sleepy Cat. Nightblooms also has two late spring shows, at the Pinhook on Thurday, April 28, and at Ruby Deluxe on Friday, April 29, respectively. 

“Heart to Heart,” premiering on the INDY Week website today, demonstrates Nightbloom’s new sound—less industrial and more acoustic and stripped down, with more personal-feeling songs. This new material may still have plenty of shadows—depression, grief, climate change, aging—but they’re thrown into relief by a light sound, and beams of lightened perspective. 

“Heart to Heart” is a sort of musical homage to the music I grew up listening to—Tom Petty, The Beatles, George Harrison, ELO, etc,” Logan says. “Those bands are all such a huge part of my musical upbringing, and I wanted to play around with some chords and ideas I had floating around that would be a nod to those songwriters. Of all the Nightblooms songs that predated “Heart to Heart,” I didn’t have anything that you might classify as one of those songs you want to listen to “with the windows down when you’re driving” kinda vibes. I think it is as close to a “classic rock” sound as I’ll ever get.” 

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Follow Arts & Culture Editor Sarah Edwards on Twitter or send an email to sedwards@indyweek.com.