Word of Smouth: SoulFlower

Down one member, SoulFlower took the stage at the Green Room as a trio. Guitarist Freakwhensee shifted to drums, while Victor Wedden held down guitar and Inayah El-Amin played bass. Having never seen the group before, I was impressed with their ability to shuffle roles seamlessly. It goes to show the talent and versatility in the group.

Not knowing what to fully expect, the opening song “WonderWander” dove right into a grunge-soul sound. Immediately struck by how unique the songwriting and structure of the songs, SoulFlower leaps off the stage at you. There’s a keen intrigue and lure into listening to their songs, not knowing where they are going next. From full frontal bouts of indie rock, to groovy instrumental breaks, it’s a sonic smorgasbord to the senses.

This was exemplified in their newest release “Passion”, with a portion of spoken word effectively spliced into the song. The released version featuring twinkly keys and ambient background vocals all driven with a small tight drum sound. Inayah injects each song with instant groove through the bass, while lyrically there are moments of self-introspection and growth. The last song on their set was unnamed, but started with a bass line still stuck in my head. As the trio layered themselves in and it eventually pinnacled with an angry burst of vocals from Inayah, the following resolve gently left the Green Room with stunned appreciation.