These days my brain feels like it’s tied up in a billion threads, but music has a way of loosening the knots. Bloom Effect’s oscilón has been part of that unwinding: a record that carries you out of the tangled noise and into something expansive, cosmic, and bright. The embodiment of love even. I caught up with the band (Jula Lafit, Craig Weighman, and Tom Rappa) at Sneaky Dee's before they took to the stage. Bloom Effect is currently based in Vancouver, but are touring through the East with dates including:
Guelph - Sep 30 Montreal- Oct 2 Ottawa - Oct 3 London- Oct 4 If you're around and looking for the best wall of sound, you'll be sure to find it within those nights.
Absent Sounds: I'm sitting here with Bloom Effect in Toronto. We’re right at Sneaky Dee’s along College and Bathurst. You’re listening to Absent Sounds on CJAM 99.1 FM. Today, we’re diving into your latest EP that just came out. Was it a week ago? Two?
Jula Lafit: It was a week ago, correct?
Absent Sounds: We usually like to give everybody listening an introduction to the band, but I know you all have an interesting backstory because you’re not all from the same place. Where did your paths first cross?
Jula Lafit: Jula here. I think this question is for Tom because he loves to tell this story.
Absent Sounds: Before that, could you each say your name and what you play?
Jula Lafit: For sure. My name is Jula, and I play bass.
Craig Weighman: Hi, I’m Craig, and I play guitar.
Tom Rappa: I’m Tom, I’m the drummer.
Absent Sounds: Tell us the story.
Tom Rappa: We all came to Vancouver around the same time, wanting to play music. We joined a Vancouver band as the rhythm section. But the songwriter started to steal from us, and it became unpleasant. We confronted him, and the band imploded. Out of that, we decided we still wanted to play together. Jula had some cool songs, and that was the start of Bloom Effect.
Absent Sounds: How long was it between that and the release of this EP?
Jula Lafit: From when we bonded over that experience, it was just a few months before we started jamming again. From then until now, it’s been about two years to really find ourselves as a three-piece and our sound.
Absent Sounds: How did you decide what this EP would sound like versus previous work?
Jula Lafit: We aimed for a wall of sound with a lot of reverb and layered textures. Finding our sound happened organically during practice. The studio just captured that.
Absent Sounds: What about your mix of languages in the music?
Jula Lafit: That’s spontaneous. Sometimes a song feels like it should be in Spanish, sometimes in English, depending on the vibe. Personally, English dominates my life in Canada, so naturally, a lot of my expression comes out that way.
Absent Sounds: Let’s talk about the EP itself. What’s the main theme?
Jula Lafit: Love, in its many forms. Cosmic, universal love. The sun is big, and the feelings in the songs are big too.
Absent Sounds: Listening closely, I felt the EP almost tells a story — like a novella — from the beginning of love to its fading near the end.
Craig Weighman: It starts with a love story that fades out.
Absent Sounds: For me, it felt like phases of attraction, decisions, and letting go.
Craig Weighman: The peak might be in “Suspendo,” flipping into the emotional low, but really, the music is unconscious and cosmic — it just happens.
Tom Rappa: We don’t explain songs on stage. Interpretation is beautiful; everyone owns what they hear.
Absent Sounds: Do you try to evoke moods intentionally with your music?
Jula Lafit: Yes. The songs are about love, not personal anxieties or the weather. Even when melancholic, we hope the music brings listeners to a good place.
Craig Weighman: It’s just the expression of us as a band. We didn’t consciously set out to write “massive love songs.”
Absent Sounds: How does performing live compare to recording?
Jula Lafit: On stage, it feels incredible. The wall of sound, vocals over guitars — we’re pleased and content with ourselves.
Craig Weighman: We’re our own biggest fans, and fans of each other.
Absent Sounds: You mentioned love fading. How do you know when to move on?
Jula Lafit: All is just the beginning. This EP is only the tip of what we can explore.
Craig Weighman: This is just the flirting stage; it’s going to get more intense.
Absent Sounds: What’s next for the band?
Jula Lafit: Love is messy. We have goals and dreams, and as long as we’re aligned, the story continues.
Tom Rappa: We have more songs, some older, moody, atmospheric tracks that hint at what might come next.
Jula Lafit: Recording Oscilon itself evolved us. Some songs barely made it to the album but became singles, reflecting how we grow and change as a band.
Absent Sounds: You’re on tour next, hitting Toronto, Kitchener, Hamilton, Guelph, Montreal, Ottawa, and London.
Jula Lafit: We love the communities and lineups in each city. Every show feels great.
Tom Rappa: I just want to say thanks for genuinely listening and diving into the record.
Jula Lafit: We really appreciate it. That’s why we make music — for people to listen and feel something.
Absent Sounds: There can never be enough wall-of-sound music. Thank you for sharing yours.
Jula Lafit: Thank you so much.