Loma

Loma emerged from Texas as a trio that fuses overcast post-rock with elements of bucolic and Baroque indie pop and rock, shaping their sound in subtle layers. Their self-titled debut appeared in 2018, followed by the moodier Don't Shy Away in 2020, which leaned further into pastoral and ornate textures; the more muscular and shadowed How Will I Live Without a Body? then surfaced in 2024.

The group's origins trace to 2015, when Shearwater's percussionist Thor Harris skipped a scheduled performance to join Austin's Cross Record for sessions on Wabi-Sabi, the duo's first album for Ba Da Bing. Label head Ben Goldberg forwarded a copy to Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg, anticipating his interest in the collaboration. Meiburg responded by asking Cross Record—Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski—to join Shearwater on tour, forging a close bond that prompted joint songwriting. The three tracked the results at the isolated Dripping Springs, Texas, home studio belonging to Cross Record, and Sub Pop issued the material under the Loma name in early 2018. Leading single "Black Willow" set the tone for an album that merged traits from both source bands into a distinct identity. Later that year they released the guided-meditation piece The Rind in Your Mind. Mid-2020 brought the spectral single "Ocotillo," which opened the way for sophomore album Don't Shy Away; its broader instrumental range included harp, trombone, and flute, while Brian Eno supplied synths, drum programming, and production on "Homing."

Though acoustic elements remained, the band increased volume and density for the more cinematic How Will I Live Without a Body?, issued by Sub Pop in mid-2024. Pandemic disruptions nearly derailed the project as members dispersed—Cross to Dorset, Meiburg to Germany, and Duszynski in central Texas—yet they regrouped in early 2023 carrying the imprint of those separate locales. The resulting heavier palette incorporated a German percussion ensemble, field recordings of Texas owls, and the surf of Dorset's Chesil Beach.