THE SHADE OF BLUE IN HUMANITY: A MOMENT WITH BLUISH'S IRIS JAMES GARRISON
by Catherine Spino
One of the most defining moments of my life was getting my SONY Walkman for Christmas when I was in third grade. It was navy blue and perfect and I never left the house without it. I never looked back on it before now, but owning that Walkman was like owning precious real estate: whenever I put on my headphones, I knew I was safe within whatever musical space I chose for the day. No one but me could get in. It was my own private world to go and forget the awkwardness and pain of growing up when I felt no one understood me. The first time I listened to Brooklyn based musician Iris James Garrison, the lead singer of Bluish, I felt that same comfort and safety offered to me by my Walkman in the back of my mom’s car. Sure, I’ve upgraded my Walkman to my iPhone but the vulnerability of their voice and their lyrics took me back to that emotional, intimate headspace of holding my Walkman on my way to Catholic school.
Iris has an incredible knack for creating a safe place for listeners to find a home within their songs. With vocals that must be a cousin of Adrianne Lenker, their voice is raw and comforting, reminding me of the incredible power of being soft. Their demo of “Standby” is an example of their “bouncy” side and an ode to the will-they-won’t-they chapter of a budding romance. It also showcases more of Iris’s vocal prowess when they belt the lyrics “Hanging on to every sign, was it wrong to say goodnight?/Is the line drawn or do I decide?”, an internal dialogue I am all too familiar with. Iris’s lyrics in some of their more somber songs tap into these memories that are boxed up and hidden away deep in our psyches, allowing us to re-explore our past in a different light. In their demo “ISO”, Iris’s voice rocks you as they repeat their chorus “Oh, Where did all the time go?” creating a moment so intimately familiar to being held as a crying child it stopped me dead in my tracks when I first heard it.
And I wasn’t the only one who had that reaction. I saw Iris perform at a playground in Ridgewood, NY when all Brooklyn concert goers were eager for live music again yet unsure if they were ready to pack into a small venue with little ventilation. I remember hearing a group of little boys zoom in on motorized bicycles, ready to blow off steam on a Friday night. They were really disgruntled by the fact the park was full of people and left little room for them to play. One of them asked me what was going on when Iris started to strum their guitar and I said there was a show happening. Iris then began singing their first song and the little boys stopped bickering. They sat on their bikes and watched Iris, in awe of the sound. Moths to a sacred flame.
When I spoke to Iris about their process and music, they mentioned the fear of their music “sounding like a bummer”. As a writer, I empathize with this fear of your words being deemed too much or too emotional, but Iris’s ability to be transparent and vulnerable with their lyrics while not having their songs overproduced is a balancing act not easily mastered by most musicians. A perfect example is Phoebe Bridgers’ “Punisher”, a favorite of Iris’s and one I wish I enjoyed more. Before everyone burns me at the stake, let me explain myself. Bridgers is known for her lyrics that tug every which way at your heartstrings but I found that the overproduction of that album drowned her out, making it hard for me to connect with some of the more commanding lines of her songs. I admire the bold choice of Iris’s minimal production, which in some cases is just their guitar and their voice. There is no second singer or 30 piece band to hide behind, creating this potent intimacy between Iris and the listener. You can hear their voice quiver, you can hear it expand to a belt, you can hear their fingers change chords. The listening experience of this isn’t a bummer, but rather a magically cathartic journey. Instead of backing away in sadness or fear of feeling too much, we lean in closer to witness their transformative stories and their warm melodies.
Iris defines Bluish’s genre as music that “makes you bounce and cry all at once”, which is quite poignant as that simple statement can be applied to the human experience. I cannot think of a better troubadour for the living than Iris. As I sit here and write this, I am reminded of a quote from Capote’s Other Voices, Other Rooms: “What we want most is only to be held…and told…that everything (everything is a funny thing, is baby milk and Papa’s eyes, is roaring logs on a cold morning, is hoot-owls and the boy who makes you cry after school, is Mama’s long hair, is being afraid, and twisted faces on the bedroom wall)…everything is going to be alright.” Iris’s music is just that: it is the bittersweetness of returning to the past to find some comfort in the present. It is dancing and laughing after wiping your tears. It is standing with feet firmly planted on the group as your head and heart says “ok, what next?”. It is the comfort of your headphones in your ears, whether attached to your Walkman or connected to your iPhone, and knowing you are safe within these melodies.
You can listen to Bluish on their Bandcamp and keep an eye out for details on when their full album drops on their Instagram.
Q&A WITH IRIS
1. Can you describe your music to any new listeners here?
Bluish is a queer indie pop / sad rock band, making you bounce and cry all at once.
2. What’s been inspiring your creative process lately?
Been reading a lot of Eileen Myles.
3. How do you get yourself out of a creative “funk” (writer’s block, not mixing music, etc)?
Oy, that feeling is so awkward. It usually means something is percolating and needs more time before it sprouts. I’ve been practicing just reading instead, or practicing guitar. Forcing the song to be written just results in a stupid spiral. But sometimes it literally feels like there is something I must get off of my chest and it cannot find its proper avenue to express. Not sure I have a cure for those moments yet.
4. What has been the most rewarding moment or a big personal milestone of your music career thus far?
I've had many small victories that feel very big to me, one of which was finishing a record. We have been a project for almost 3 years, so finally making our body of work together has been a huge accomplishment. No release date yet, but making the thing was a journey. I’m super proud of the work me and Alex and our collaborators did this past year.
5. How has the pandemic shaped your creative process? Have there been benefits or disadvantages making music during this period of time for you?
Looking back on March of last year—we had so many shows lined up all the time, and I was working so much; I can't really fathom how we would have been able to really focus and hone our sound. I kind of remember thinking to myself.. “if everything could just stop for one second...” and then it was an extremely long and traumatizing second. Everything went up in the air, and so I was able to really think through and piece together what our music was. Without our focus being on shows, and the crowd, there was more to explore internally within each song and the sound of the band as a whole.
6. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring ONE record/album, what would it be?
“Once I Was an Eagle” by Laura Marling.
7. What is a defining moment of your music education?
I started playing guitar at the age of five because I loved James Taylor. My mom would play James all the time when we were on long car rides. And learning “Fire and Rain” was the first big moment I remember. I can still play it perfectly and it is still one of my all time favorite songs. But I feel like I have to also say that my first concert was Avril Lavigne, and I was completely obsessed with her as a tiny person as well. I used to make my mom sit with all of my beanie babies and watch me play the spatula like a guitar and sing the entirety of “Let Go” all the time. So I’d say seeing her live has equal weight in being a pivotal moment for me. And I’d say my music falls right between James Taylor and Avril Lavigne.
8. If you could give your younger self advice on your musical journey, what would it be?
Join the school band.
9. Is there anything in the works for you now?
I’m ready to get back to practicing with the band and playing live shows in the near future! We are in the process of planning releases right now, but I definitely want to plug the two compilation tapes we were able to be on during the pandemic!
Oof Records is an amazing indie label, run by a badass angel named Ava Mirzadegan. Ava has launched this label and grown it so beautifully all during COVID and the compilation has some familiar names like Adult Mom and Gabby’s World, as well as a ton of insanely talented artists. Check out the first and second compilation tapes that were released! We were also part of a stacked comp organized by Adam Kolodny (House of Nod) and was released on Steakhouse Records. You can find a demo of “ISO” here.