There’s something undeniably liberating about Mike Bloom’s latest single, Mountains, a track that lifts you off the ground before you even realize it. This psychedelic-tinged indie rock anthem comes from the heart of Los Angeles, echoing with both Bloom’s seasoned artistry and an urgent, almost spiritual need to be heard.
A long-time collaborator of Jenny Lewis, Julian Casablancas, and Rilo Kiley, Bloom steps into his own spotlight here, baring his soul, and apparently his chest, for a performance that feels both intimate and boundless. From the first ethereal pads that wash over the listener, Mountains opens up like a horizon: vast, mysterious, and full of promise. The atmosphere is cinematic, driven by sustained textures that evoke awe, like standing before a real-life mountain range and feeling impossibly small, yet deeply alive.
At its core, Mountains is a meditation on the sheer experience of being. Bloom leans into the contradictions of modern life, the striving, the questioning, the invisible tides pulling us forward, and distills it into a track that feels like a revelation. With a touch of gospel yearning and the grand reach of a Springsteen epic.
There’s no mistaking the psychedelic undercurrent here. Hazy guitars, echoing vocals, and a steady but expansive beat create a dreamy sonic landscape. But what sets this song apart is its grounded emotional honesty. Bloom isn’t just chasing a sound, he’s chasing meaning, transcendence, and perhaps even peace. “Mountains are very real and powerful symbols pointing to some higher power,” he explains, and in Mountains, that higher power feels as much internal as it is cosmic.
With more music on the way, Mountains is both a standalone anthem and a sign of something bigger, a creative surge that Bloom can no longer contain. And thank God for that. Because if this track proves anything, it’s that the power of nature, like the power of raw human expression, can never be underestimated.
