Today, Bloomsday—the musical project of New York singer-songwriter Iris James Garrison—has released their latest single, “Virtual Hug.” The track follows previous releases “Where I End and You Begin” and “Dollar Slice,” all of which are set to appear on Bloomsday’s forthcoming new LP Heart of the Artichoke, which is due out June 7 via Bayonet Records. “Virtual Hug” arrives through the guidance of a propulsive, shimmering acoustic guitar and Garrison’s lead vocal, which tenderly paints a picture of long-distance companionship told through the eyes of someone else.
Garrison’s lyricism is the shining armor of the song, existing as pensive and full of grace—all while building its own world of ache and yearning in just three minute’s time. On a who’s-who album full of Paste favorites, like Babehoven and h. pruz, “Virtual Hug” is an exceptional, standout centerpiece of gravitational togetherness that beckons the collaborative environment it was conceptualized in.
“As this song came to me, I was thinking a lot about how my best friend was moving to LA. I hadn’t spent time away from them for longer than a week before, and was trying to imagine what that might be like,” Garrison says. “My partner and their best friend are on opposite coasts so I’ve seen them weave one another into their daily life for a week or weekend at a time, and then hug goodbye in tears, flying off until their next reunion.”
Listen to “Virtual Hug” below.
