How do you know when to fight for a relationship or fight your way out of it? It’s the central question at the core of Sorrey’s full-length debut, In Full Bloom. Armed with a dynamic sound, entrancing melodies, and Emilie Sorrey’s soaring vocals, the only way for this Prince Edward Island dream-pop group is up.
“Baby” starts us off with a gentle, melancholy tune about the pain of making a difficult decision. Despite rises and falls in the instrumental intensity, there’s always a certain lull to it that makes you want to squeeze the nearest pillow. The major keys then get their turn in the sun with “Full Bloom,” where every single sound can be likened to the blooming of a flower.
“Talking To Them” combines subtlety with a confident spunkiness; perfect for a song about having moved on unapologetically, while “Signs” retains such a vibe alongside a positively mesmerizing keyboard melody, almost creating a cyberpunk-esque sound as Sorrey belts a yarn about someone filling the gap. Elsewhere, “Flash” takes on a somewhat slower pace from its break-up brethren, and “Recalibrate” combines a guitar and a broken heart in the middle of an auditory snowstorm.
The cheekily named “Fast Chunk” and “Slow Chunk” round off Sorrey’s inaugural album, with the former drawing you in with Sorrey’s suave vocals before plunging you in the middle of a relaxed yet upbeat tune. “Slow Chunk” then pulls a 180 on us; everything from Sorrey’s soft lyrics to the band’s melodies sink deep into your heart, creating a feeling of yearning.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered completely on Prince Edward Island, In Full Bloom comes on the heels of Sorrey’s critically-acclaimed 2015 EP, Thick As Thieves, and is available via Garment District Records. Sorrey is truly a band with variety in spades, and they deliver on everything they try.