A Lone Star State trio featuring
Shearwater's
Jonathan Meiburg and
Cross Record's
Emily Cross and
Dan Duszynski,
Loma emerged in 2018 with an eponymous debut that paired overcast post-rock with bucolic and baroque indie pop.
The seeds of
Loma were sown in 2015 when
Shearwater percussionist
Thor Harris missed his regular gig to collaborate with Austin duo
Cross Record on
Wabi-Sabi, their debut album for Ba Da Bing. Knowing that
Shearwater frontman
Jonathan Meiburg would be interested in what
Harris had been up to during his absence, label boss Ben Goldberg sent him a CD of the album.
Meiburg, impressed by the young band's music, invited them to tour with
Shearwater, during which he became close friends with the duo of married couple
Emily Cross and
Dan Duszynski; they decided to write some songs together. Excited at what they had come up with, the trio recorded an album at
Cross Record's isolated home studio in the tiny town of Dripping Springs, Texas. The resulting material was released under the name
Loma by
Shearwater's label Sub Pop in early 2018. Preceded by the haunting single "Black Willow," the album incorporated elements from both its parent bands while indisputably creating its own sound. A second release that same year, The Rind in Your Mind, focused on guided meditation. Returning in mid-2020,
Loma issued the spectral single "Ocotillo," which appeared on the group's sophomore full-length effort,
Don't Shy Away, later that year. ~ John D. Buchanan