Nashville – The brother/sister duo of Blondfire kind of have an unfair advantage. Most bands are lucky if they start working together in high school, but Erica and Bruce Driscoll have been at it since they were little kids. They’ve written a treasure trove of songs together that dates back to the eighties, so it’s no wonder that they’ve finally achieved success. A move to Los Angeles from Grand Rapids, a record deal with Warner Bros., a licensing deal with Honda, and the upcoming release of their first album Young Heart are a few milestones that have been a long time coming for this band.
Young Heart is poised to be the breakout success for Blondfire, sort of how Passive Me, Aggressive You was for The Naked and Famous. It’s a poppy, party-centric album replete with punchy choruses that stick in the brain. The whole album would fit as comfortably in a trailer for a feel-good movie as it would on college radio stations.
The eighties influence on the Driscolls is evident in the twinkling electronica sounds on songs like “Wild And Wasted,” “Walking With The Giants,” and “Kites.” Erica’s airy, silvery vocals glide between octaves over offbeat electronic effects infused by her brother.
Perhaps more interesting though is the Brazilian influence on this album. Erica and Bruce’s mother is Brazilian, and the two grew up paying regular visits to their mother’s home country. The Brazilian flare on Young Heart is subtle at first. But it becomes obvious when you know what to look for. “Waves” prominently features 2/4 time kept on an acoustic guitar. The 2/4 time of samba music is also present on “We Are One,” and the jangling electric guitar on “Dear In Your Headlights” shows another Brazilian slant.
Blondfire has arrived with grace to the release of this record. They’ve shown particularly admirable persistence getting here after being forced to give up their original band name, Astaire. Apparently the Estate of Fred Astaire doesn’t take kindly to name replicas. But as Erica sings in “Walking With The Giants,” “The bigger they are, the harder they fall. But we’re just gonna keep going on, on.”
Unlike some bands, Blondfire has no shortage of material. The Driscolls have literally hundreds of songs registered with BMI. The prolific siblings have been unrelenting as they’ve plunged into their careers. Young Heart our first peek at the that treasure trove of songs.
They’ve been touring with another one of our favorite bands from sunny L.A., The Mowgli’s, although no new dates have popped up yet. You can keep up with them and check for tour updates on their Twitter and Facebook page.
Young Heart will be released on February 11th, on Warner Bros. Records.
Caroline McDonald
After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.
A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.
I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!
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