The American band Fotoform already has several albums to its name and released its latest work this year.
Their influences clearly stem from the realm of Dream-Pop, with subtle nods to Shoegaze. Guitar and electronic elements blend seamlessly, with the guitar often creating a celestial atmosphere.
The mood is at times melancholic, yet consistently ethereal, guided by a female voice that feels almost angelic.

While I occasionally miss a true climax, this full-length release is nonetheless a pleasant discovery. (Rating:7).

Listen to “Grief Is A Garden”:

https://fotoform.bandcamp.com/track/grief-is-a-garden

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Fotoform has just dropped a new single and video, “This City Is Over”, taken from their new album “Grief is a Garden (Forever in Bloom)”, out tomorrow Friday, April 18. The accompanying music video for “This City Is Over” was directed by Erik Foster. “This City Is Over” follows previously released singles “Grief Is A Garden” and “If You Knew / Don’t You Worry, Baby”.

“Grief is a Garden (Forever in Bloom)” is the 3rd studio album for the Seattle-based shoegaze-infused post-punk band Fotoform and follows 2021’s “Horizons”. The new album will be available digitally and on limited edition vinyl (pre-order).

On the meaning behind the song, Fotoform’s Kim House shares: “We live so much of our lives on autopilot—numbed by routine, drained by survival mode. ‘This City Is Over’ is a call to reconnect with ourselves, our values, and our priorities. For me, that meant leaving a long career in fashion to pursue something more meaningful and sustainable—personally and creatively.

The ‘city’ in this song represents more than a place. It’s a symbol for unchecked capitalism, burnout culture, and the illusion of success at the expense of self. It’s about stepping back to reflect, to reclaim our time and energy, and to start listening to the voice within.

We don’t need to wait for a crisis to change our lives. A more authentic, aligned life is always within reach—if we’re brave enough to step outside of our comfort zones, to ‘follow the truth inside your soul.”

For this album Kim House (vocals, bass, synths, guitar) and Geoffrey Cox (guitars) were joined again by Michael Schorr (drums, ex-Death Cab for Cutie). To celebrate the release Fotoform band will embark on a European tour beginning on April 18, with stops in Paris, Berlin, Dresden, Madrid, Barcelona, and more.

Fotoform tour dates

• April 2 – Seattle, WA – The Central Saloon
• April 10 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
• April 19 – Paris, FR – La Mécanique Ondulatoire
• April 22 – Lille, FR – La Brat Cave
• April 24 – Berlin, DE – Tommyhaus
• April 25 – Dresden, DE – Scheune/Blechschloss
• April 30 – Münster, DE – Rare Guitar
• May 2 – Witzenhausen, DE – Runde Ecke
• May 3 – Meschede, DE – Mono Bar
• May 9 – Madrid, ES – El Sótano
• May 10 – Guadalajara, ES – Pub Arcadia
• May 12 – Barcelona, ES – Manchester Bar
• May 29 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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The Seattle-based shoegaze / post-punk act Fotoform has just released an all new single video for the track “Grief Is A Garden” taken from the band’s new album “Grief is a Garden (Forever in Bloom)” out on April 18.

Fotoform’s musical journey began with their self-released debut album in 2017. “Grief is a Garden (Forever in Bloom)” is Fotoform’s third album and follows “Horizons” (2021). It will be available digitally and on limited edition vinyl. In support of the album, the band will be embarking on a series of European dates before returning to Seattle for their hometown release show at the Tractor Tavern on May 29, presented by KEXP.

The video for “Grief is a Garden” was directed by Erik Foster while the song is available on all streaming platforms.

Kim House of Fotoform offers insight into its creation: “The title track to our upcoming album, “Grief is a Garden” reflects on the enduring, ever-evolving nature of grief and how it changes over time. Grief blooms, decays and nourishes itself, embodying love, beauty, pain and transformation. As we move through life, we accumulate grief, and the song contemplates the evolving nature of our relationship to loss and love, as grief becomes a part of us, forever changing us and informing our new selves as we continue with life after loss.

My brother Jeff passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of February, right after we released our first single. I am still trying to absorb the devastating reality that he is gone. I never could have imagined I would lose another brother just as we are starting to release songs off our album, which is centered around grief, loss, resilience and healing. The lyric “Waves keep crashing, unforeseen, losing someone is never what it seems” has been swirling around me as I feel blindsided by the loss of my brother. We’d been planning on talking about grief with the new record, but it’s another thing to suddenly find yourself newly grieving again.”

For this album Kim House (vocals, bass, synths, guitar) and Geoffrey Cox (guitars) are joined again by Michael Schorr (drums, ex-Death Cab for Cutie).Musically they are influenced by such bands as The Cure, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, and Bat For Lashes.

Fotoform tour dates

• April 2 – Seattle, WA – The Central Saloon
• April 10 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
• April 19 – Paris, FR – La Mécanique Ondulatoire
• April 24 – Berlin, DE – Tommyhaus
• April 25 – Dresden, DE – Scheune/Blechschloss
• April 30 – Münster, DE – Rare Guitar
• May 3 – Meschede, DE – Mono Bar
• May 9 – Madrid, ES – TBD
• May 10 – Guadalajara, ES – TBD
• May 29 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com