March 7th
Prolific singer-songwriter (and lead singer of GRAMMY-Award winning rock band, Switchfoot) Jon Foreman announces his new LP, In Bloom, out May 31st. Co-produced with James McAlister (Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sufjan Stevens), the 12-song collection was crafted to accompany a drive down the California coast on a sunny afternoon.
Alongside the album’s announcement, Foreman releases the title track, “In Bloom,” a beautiful meditation on beauty within the journey from womb to tomb, which features vocals from singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun. The soft guitar strums make room for Foreman’s contemplative lyrics, searching for hope, and yearning to bloom like a wildflower in the desert.
The lyric video for “In Bloom,” which is also out today, aptly features a field of wildflowers and was shot when Foreman and a photographer friend stopped on the side of the road to take a few photos. Without even realizing it, the pair realized that the flowers matched the spirit of the song perfectly. It was an unexpected gift of the moment.
“I have no idea how old I will be when I die, most likely, I’m about halfway there,” Foreman shares about the track. “Time is the avalanche I’m riding down the mountain: out of control and gaining speed. The kid I was before is getting harder and harder to reach. I’m still him, and he’s still me… but not quite. And yet, THIS moment, right here and now- THIS is the ever-present now. Available now and briefly. The future and the past are ghosts and phantoms- they haunt me with regret and fear, anxiety and shame. And yet, the past and future are spaces where I cannot act. Fortunately, each day has enough worries of its own. The “here and now” requires my full attention, and my presence can only be present in this moment alone. When is the present mine? When I am present to it. Garden be my teacher. Sun. Moon. Soul. New leafy growth. The flowers, the birds, even my children- they are unencumbered by future fears or past regrets. They are fearlessly unassailable to the ghosts and phantoms of tomorrow and yesterday. Alive to the moment alone! And my prayer? To be present. Here and now. Available to a beauty that transcends my desire for control.”
‘In Bloom’ was not the album Jon Foreman set out to write. After Foreman’s “departures,” album, which was written in response to the tremors of 2020, he intended to release another album titled “arrivals,” but the attempt to create it kept running away. He was chasing a destination as it moved further and further away. Yet throughout the creative block, new and different songs were coming to him. Ones that didn’t quite fit with the record he set out to create.
So, Foreman decided to humbly begin on this new road that seemed to be offering itself to him. He embraced the unknown while fresh songs poured effortlessly out of his mind. Letting the music lead the way, Foreman felt the melodies and lyrics were coming to him like flowers, delicate and intuitive. Rather than fighting for control, Foreman created a collection of music that mimics nature and the flow of life: never arriving, but always becoming.
Featuring appearances from singer-songwriters Joy Oladokun and Abby Holliday, “In Bloom” was written in the present, moment by moment, and embraces mortality, limitations, and the ever-present mistakes of the everyday. The record sees Foreman lean into the everchanging garden that he is and that he’s becoming.
“‘In Bloom’ is the album that I wasn’t trying to make. It’s a flower that came to me, unasked. ‘In Bloom’ is an album that celebrates the unexpected gift of the moment. The cover photo and the songs themselves feel like gifts. This record is full of honest, humble, surprises that came to me while I was busy chasing a different arrival. Rather than obsessing over a future, static destination, may this album represent an entirely different pursuit: to stay present to the present to the ever-present gift of the moment along the way. Like a wildflower, may these songs bring you beauty and joy as you travel along your journey.”
Additionally, today, Foreman sets off on the “Tear The Roof Off Tour” in support of Brandon Lake, which sees the two singer-songwriters playing arenas and large clubs throughout the United States, with shows already sold out in Brooklyn (NY), Memphis (TN), Arlington (TX), Orlando (FL) and more. See below for full tour routing.
IN BLOOM TRACKLIST:
1. I Propose A Toast
2. Where The Sidewalk Ends
3. Eulogy
4. In Bloom ft.Joy Oladokun
5. Antidote
6. Stay Wild, Wildflower
7. Heaven Is Yours
8. Lovers Are Believers
9. Cheap Wine (And Expensive Conversation) ft. Abby Holliday
10. Lover
11. As. Simple, As. Us.
12. Sojourn (epilogue)
JON FOREMAN TOUR DATES (IN SUPPORT OF BRANDON LAKE):
March 7th – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC
March 8th – Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre (SOLD OUT)
March 9th – Arlington, TX – College Park Center at UT Arlington (SOLD OUT)
March 10th – Tulsa, OK – Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University
March 14th – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
March 15th – Spokane, WA- Spokane Arena
March 16th – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Arena
March 17th – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center
April 18th – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum
April 19th – Cleveland, OH – Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University
April 20th – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre (SOLD OUT)
April 21st – Baltimore, MD – Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (SOLD OUT)
April 25th – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
April 26th – Orlando, FL – Addition Financial Arena (SOLD OUT)
April 27th – Miami , FL – James L. Knight Center
April 28th – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.