Bombadil

Though their interviews routinely pointed to Bolivian folk traditions as the conceptual spark, Bombadil’s playful indie-pop approach aligned far more closely with the lighter, whimsical wing of the Elephant 6 collective—early Of Montreal in particular—and with the output of Kindercore Records. The band’s debut full-length, A Buzz, A Buzz, appeared in 2008. Despite repeated disruptions from personnel shifts and health setbacks, Bombadil maintained a steady release schedule, anchored throughout by founding member Daniel Michalak. Fellow alternative songwriters took notice; both Metrics of Affection (2013) and Hold On (2015) included trumpet contributions from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, while the sixth album, Fences (2017), was helmed by producer John Vanderslice. Emerging from the initial COVID-19 lockdown period, the self-recorded In Color carried the group’s signature bittersweet melodicism.

Bassist and keyboardist Daniel Michalak and guitarist Bryan Rahija originated the project—christened after J.R.R. Tolkien’s Tom Bombadil—during a semester abroad in Bolivia, where they began composing material together. In those formative years the band appeared onstage in outfits meant to evoke traveling Bolivian folk musicians. After returning to North Carolina as Duke University students, Michalak and Rahija recruited mutual friend and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Robinson along with Michalak’s younger brother, drummer John Michalak. A live demo captured at a campus show secured a deal with the regional indie Ramseur Records, which issued a self-titled EP in 2006. The demands of constant touring and coursework prompted John Michalak’s departure before the first album was tracked; James Phillips stepped in on drums. A Buzz, A Buzz reached stores in April 2008, followed by Tarpits and Canyonlands the next year.

Daniel Michalak’s recurring nerve condition in his hands forced the group into hiatus for stretches of 2009 and 2010. Once his health stabilized, All That the Rain Promises surfaced in 2011 and Metrics of Affection arrived midway through 2013. Rahija soon exited the core lineup, so the subsequent album was conceived as a trio and captured with guest appearances by Rahija (guitar, ukulele) and Michael Stipe, who had already contributed to one track on Metrics of Affection. Shortly before the March 2015 release of the heartbreak-focused Hold On, the band disclosed that Robinson would not participate in touring, having chosen to explore other pursuits. Michalak and Phillips then enlisted guitarist Stacy Harden; the reconstituted trio issued Fences on Ramseur in 2017. John Vanderslice produced the set, later noting that he applied a restrained touch to the songs and their acoustic performances. The same three musicians reconvened for the seventh album, Beautiful Country (2019), which Scott Solter—known for work with the Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice—produced, recorded, and mixed.

Phillips, then in the U.S. with a newborn, and Michalak, then in France, wrote the material for In Color during the pandemic’s opening phase. After numerous abandoned concepts and restarts, the 2023 Ramseur release adopted a color motif mirrored in its song titles. Phillips later recorded and mixed the album in Durham, enlisting additional vocalists and instrumentalists Skylar Gudasz, MK Rodenbough, and Nick Vandenberg.