Music Review: The Cactus Blossoms, ‘Every Time I Think About You’
The Minneapolis brother duo and their band continue to grow and evolve from their country roots on their irresistibly catchy new album.
The Cactus Blossoms' Every Time I Think About You album artwork.
American modernist/abstractionist George Morrison (1919‒2000), born a member of the Grand Portage Band of the Minnesota Chippewa (Ojibwe) Tribe, lived on the shore of Lake Superior for over a decade, making a series of paintings illuminating the beauty of the lake and its surroundings. Morrison once said, “I feel a reverence for the land and the lake. You come back to your own environment and how you grew up. Maybe you are drawn to the people too—those you grew up with. A certain relationship to those people and a relationship to the land, rocks, and trees. … The way driftwood is indirectly related to nature.”
It’s fitting that The Cactus Blossoms feature a 1990 painting by Morrison on the cover of their new LP, Every Time I Think About You. Like the acclaimed artist, Minneapolis-based brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum have frequently expressed in past interviews how connected they feel to their home state.
While the band continues to root themselves in their origins of country, rockabilly, and Americana, the new album also makes clear that they’re eager and willing to push their own boundaries into new territories of music and lyrics. Every Time I Think About You shows a new pinnacle of confidence and cohesion within the band, which also includes another brother duo, Jeremy Hanson (drums/percussion) and Jacob Hanson (electric guitar), along with Torrey and Burkum’s cousin Phillip Hicks (bass) and longtime collaborator Alex Hall (piano, organ, percussion, mixing). In the course of creating their last album (One Day, 2022) and touring extensively, The Cactus Blossoms have nurtured their knockout sound.
The Cactus Blossoms. Photo Credit: Aaron Rice
The album pulls you in immediately with delicious melodies combined with that Lynchian edge the band is known for. Opening track “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” talks about being in the “grip of insanity,” but still needing to keep going no matter what. It’s a little bit Stealers Wheel, a little bit Paul Simon, and a little bit Bakersfield-style country. “Honey, I’m Homeless” is a bluesy number that was inspired by a glimpse into the life of a jilted husband locked out by his wife whom Torrey happened upon in his travels.
“Keep Walking” is a classic rocker with Hall’s Fats Domino-style piano and Hicks’ dynamic rhythm warning somebody to shove off, saying, “I don’t care, I’ve got class.” “Be What I Wanna” is a groovy swamp rock number with an air of teenage hauteur. These tracks (and the entire album) showcase Jacob Hanson’s signature ability and panache—he’s incredible to watch live—and his brother Jeremy’s slick percussion, tailored for every track.
Though Torrey and Burkum politely shrug off comparisons to other famous brother acts (I’ve seen them live about 10 times now and every audience has one guy who shouts “EVERLYS!” at some point), their perfectly honed blood harmony continues to be eminent throughout. Instant classic “Go On” describes the inevitable loss of a love even though the early warnings were there. “Statues” is a slow and dreamy meditation that wonders who gets to be memorialized as a statue and what these objects mean to the person seeing them. (Watch the music video here.)
“There She Goes” combines a driving backbeat with a watery synthesizer and lyrics that show there are two sides to every breakup (“It just seems wrong to carry on like we never had a good thing” vs “It just seems wrong to carry on like we ever had a good thing”). Themes of loss paired with a conviction to move on permeate the entire album. The title track asks, “How long will I be / Living in memory,” exploring the way it feels to lose someone dear.
The Cactus Blossoms still embed many retro elements within their sound, but they’ve come a long way from their earlier straight country days. Every Time I Think About You is right at home in the gorgeous oeuvre their fans know and love, but they unfurl their wings a bit more with each progressive album they make. Like driftwood, this album is related to the band’s original nature but is sculpted by its journey into something new.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Davis. Photo courtesy of the author.
Christine Davis was raised in NJ but is an honorary Midwesterner living in the Chicago area. She’s an acupuncturist by day, but there’s always music playing in her head. Live music brings her a thrill like no other, but she also listens to her favorite albums over and over (and over). A music historian at heart, she loves to find the threads that connect pieces, artists, genres, and fans together. She’s the wife of a musician, mom to two of the best humans on earth, and amateur lap steel guitarist.
