Icky Blossoms sounds like the exact moment a house party turns from social to hedonistic. It is a collision of sharp, mechanical electronic pulses and a hazy, shoegaze-adjacent blur that keeps the music from feeling too sterile. The production, often handled by Dave Sitek, brings a thick, distorted warmth to the synthesizers, making them feel more like buzzing neon tubes than digital files.
What sets them apart is the vocal interplay and the 'Omaha scene' pedigree. While they use the tools of electroclash, there is a distinct indie-rock soul underneath. The vocals often lean into a cool, detached deadpan that makes the more explosive rhythmic moments hit harder. It is music that feels both fashionable and slightly dangerous, like a leather jacket worn in a humid club.
Start with their self-titled debut album. It perfectly captures their blend of 'blissrock' and dance floor aggression. Tracks like 'Babes' and 'Perfect Vision' serve as the ideal entry points for anyone who wants the energy of a rave but the attitude of a garage band.
Icky Blossoms is an electropop trio formed in Omaha, Nebraska in 2011, bringing together singer/synth player Sarah Bohling and singer/multi-instrumentalists Derek Pressnall and Nik Fackler. The three became acquainted through the Omaha arts scene and Pressnall's sidebands Tilly and the Wall and Flowers Forever. In early 2012, Icky Blossoms signed to Omaha-based Saddle Creek, who released the band's self-titled, full-length LP on July 17, 2012. Produced by TV on the Radio multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek, it is said to be an “album of sharp mechanical grooves and romantic attitude” by Spin magazine. The Icky Blossoms' Song "Babes" was used in a trailer for the movie Sin City: A Dame to Kill For shown first at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2014. The band's second album, Mask, was released on May 12, 2015.
Shares deadpan, breathy, androgynous (vocal style); urban night, dive bar, basement show (atmosphere)
Shares noise textured, drum machine, studio polished (production style); synth-pop, dance-pop (subgenres)
Shares noise textured, drum machine, studio polished (production style); deadpan, breathy, androgynous (vocal style)
Shares compressed loud, drum machine, studio polished (production style); synth-pop, dance-pop (subgenres)
Shares urban night, basement show, dive bar (atmosphere); drum machine, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares urban night, basement show, dive bar (atmosphere); synth-pop, dance-pop (subgenres)
Shares urban night, basement show, dive bar (atmosphere); synth-pop, dance-pop (subgenres)
Shares urban night, basement show, dive bar (atmosphere); keys/synth, drum machine, electric guitar (instrumentation)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, compressed loud (production style); urban night, dive bar, late night (atmosphere)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop (subgenres); compressed loud, drum machine, studio polished (production style)
Shares electroclash, deadpan, noise textured, synth-pop (signature)
Shares electroclash, androgynous, deadpan, synth-pop (signature)
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