New Music Friday: Bombshell Nightlight
Jon Cardiello
Blue Heron Above Me
Since 2015, Jon Cardiello, the man behind Bombshell Nightlight, has been writing “Blue Heron Above Me.” His sophomore album, which released December 4th, is a time capsule of Cardiello’s life. Vulnerable and touching. The album features the voices and musical contributions of his friends and family, and in it Cardiello touches on loss, isolation and reciprocated love.
“Because it's all really personal songwriting, it does feel kind of like a big journal entry of some key moments in my last six years” Cardiello says.
As the youngest of four in a musical family, Cardiello has always been influenced by the arts: even as a child, when his mother taught him how to play piano. Growing into his voice as a musician wasn’t a straightforward ordeal for Cardiello, however.
“I never sang until I was in college because I just didn't think I could. My sister and my mom both have really beautiful voices. And it was always like this really clear thing in my head, that that was something they could do...and at one point, my sister told me just that you have to start somewhere and you'll never know unless you just try. And that felt like a really cool door opening: to be like ‘Oh, yeah, I could write songs with lyrics and stuff. Even just as an outlet, even if I don't show them to anybody.’ And then that started the whole playing music with other people and writing songs.”
Once he broke the seal of songwriting, Cardiello hit the ground running. Expressing his experience in his music. From the stable warmth of a loving relationship, to the dull ache of losing someone close to you, Cardiello weaves his perspective into art. Drawing inspiration and assigning meaning to the world around him.
As a result, Blue Heron Above Me is enchanting. Soft bass and complex guitar riffs accompany Cadirello’s lyrics. Sentimentality and care cloak the album in warmth and give the listener a sense of the passion Cardiello holds for his art. Knitted into the name of the album, Cardiello gives his listeners a glimpse of his life. In 2018, Cardiello returned to his childhood home and began composing the album.
“And that that whole week, a blue heron kept flying over to this lake up above the house… It felt like this special moment that week where I kept seeing the blue heron. And it always kind of felt like this special bird in our family. And especially after my dad's passing kind of felt like a symbol of him.”
Blue Heron Above Me is available for purchase on Bandcamp now.