I’m a bad gay or just an old one, but thanks to that fancy new contraption called The Internet, I’m just now discovering this new wave of up-and-coming young LGBTQIA+ divas that I’ve been unaware of for years. Last week may have been the end of Pride month but I’m keeping the party going with new-to-me lesbian diva Chloe Moriondo.
Chloe’s first album from 2018, Rabbit Hearted, has a chill Ingrid Michaelson uked-out vibe. The lyrics are pages from Chloe’s life and the music has a luau feel to hula dance around the house to. Which is all fine and good, until I break a hip.
In my gay opinion, Chloe’s four-song Spirit Orb EP from 2020 is the perfect bridge from their pop folk sound on Rabbit Hearted to what will become their Blood Bunny indie pop sound in 2021. This quadruplet honors the simplicity of the past while hitting harder with hints of future beats.
The Blood Bunny album has a much more amped-up rocking sound than Chloe’s earlier work. The lyrics are just as personal and relatable but with tongue firmly planted in cheek…probably next to some boy’s toe. This is the album and sound that first caught my attention and I’m hopeful it’s where her musical future is going.
I enjoy the fact that Chloe is able to vary their musical style. Chloe hooked me with their sound but it’s the autobiographical lyrics that make me come back for more. I fell victim to the teen age crush of “Silly Girl” on Rabbit Hearted in all it’s angst, grew with the self reflection of “Bugbear” on Spirit Orb into young adulthood, and felt for the Blood Bunny “Slacker” who opened themselves up to and got hurt by another. There’s lots of growing, relationship drama and laughs to be had through their catalog, which is a rare find.
As with Girl In Red, who I discovered and blogged about last month, Chloe has a huge fan following with concert dates around me that are already sold out, unfortunately for me. However, I’m glad to see these young divas are popular and selling out. This way when I’m a geriatric gay (which in gay years should be hitting me next week) I’ll be able to crash shows when I make a break from the nursing home by pretending to choke on my vegan Jello. See you next tour Chloe!
