Larkin Poe

Seventh studio album, Bloom, sees Rebecca and Megan Lovell embrace family dynamics, take the spark from stage to studio, and serve up the guitars neat”

- Andrew Daly

There are few bands that combine roots rock, classic rock, Americana and bluegrass with the blissful ease of Larkin Poe. As far as the guitars go, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell were born to do it. They’re dyed-in-the-wool lovers of all things timeless, which shows in their music – especially their latest record, Bloom.

When reflecting on their approach to the guitars on Bloom, Rebecca keeps it short, telling Guitarist: “It’s just guitar served up neat.” But, of course, there’s more beneath the surface. Megan adds: “When flowers bloom, they don’t stay around forever; they die, wilt, fall off the vine and then another one grows. That’s how we view our process.

“We’re always looking toward the next mountain we’re going to climb,” she adds, “and we find a lot of joy in that. We do that instead of being like, ‘Oh, well, look, I have to climb up this hill.’ Instead, it’s, ‘I get to climb this hill and see what’s around the bend.’”

Fierce guitars and an array of vintage amps aside, Bloom is about growth, empowerment and knowing oneself after a long, arduous journey – which isn’t remotely over. In other words, art is never easy. But Rebecca wouldn’t have it any other way: “It’s the artist’s responsibility to dig deep and find what’s meaningful to them,” she says. “But you’ve got to do it without the fear of judgment that we’ll inevitably receive. So it’s the artist’s responsibility to put that out into the world and find resonance with other people who feel similarly…”

What inspired your latest record, Bloom?