Song of the Day: Hebronix - Wild Whim

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “Wild Whim” by Hebronix from the 2013 EP Unreal on ATP Recordings.

Hebronix - Wild Whim (MP3)

Not many musicians get to claim five (and counting) debut albums, but not many musicians get as early of a start as Hebronix's Daniel Bloomberg did. At 18, Bloomberg emerged as the singer for Cajun Dance Party, a post-Arctic Monkeys indie landfill quintet who dissolved as quickly as they arrived. After a Japan-only album as Daniel in the Lion's Den on XL the next year, Bloomberg formed Yuck with longtime friend Max Bloom, whose '90s-inspired rock proved to be his most successful project to date. However, label disagreements and his creative restlessness led him to leave the group earlier this year, and he revealed his next step to be Hebronix, a solo project produced by Royal Trux's Neil Hagerty that found him continuing to embrace lo-fi elements while refining his songwriting. "Wild Whim", a nearly eight-minute sprawl of a track, contains a slowly unraveling lovers' narrative that's raw, but no less beautiful. Bloomberg's gift for translating melody into ragged glory remains his greatest strength, and although eight minutes is a challenge for any songwriter, Bloomberg's excellent pacing keeps the song on track to create a fascinating next chapter in an already unpredictable career.

At the moment, Bloomberg's only show on the docket is at ATP's End of An Era in England, but if you can't make it out to Minehead this winter, keep up with him on his Facebook and website to hear about any tour updates. Watch the video for the Unreal track "Viral" below.