Deep in the outskirts of San Ysidro, nestled comfortably between legions of semi trucks and shipping containers, lies one of modern shoegaze’s burgeoning powerhouses. Blossom, a project which began in 2021, is the brainchild of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Mateo Ruiz (middle), a quiet San Diego native with a deep appreciation for the alternative. With a sound that can only be described as heart-wrenchingly nostalgic and intimate, in the span of just three years Blossom has carved out a place for themselves within the San Diego scene and beyond. Having discovered Blossom earlier this year with the release of their sophomore EP Florecer, I’ve found myself repeatedly drawn to the band amidst the cacophony of sounds which have continued to emerge post-2010s shoegaze revival.
When asked to describe the band’s sound in 3 words, Ruiz responded with, “Delicate, heavy, and mellow,” and it seems that this sweet spot between directly opposing qualities is where Blossom finds their niche among the litany of their contemporaries.
“A lot of it is just making sure it’s not just hit, hit, hit, and a little bit more all the time, you know? Dynamic, ups and downs, and stuff like that. That’s kind of what I strive for, because with how popular shoegaze has been getting, I feel like there’s a lot of bands out there just kind of doing the same thing.They just want to be like super heavy, super loud, and it’s gotten very dry.”
After making the grueling drive through downtown rush hour traffic, I joined Ruiz at the band’s San Ysidro studio, an unassuming, hard-to-find storage suite which, much like the band itself, begets much more than initially meets the eye.
A Conversation with Mateo Ruiz of Blossom
KSDT: What are your feelings on the current state of shoegaze as a genre and discourse regarding its oversaturation in recent years?
Mateo Ruiz: I think it’s cool. I mean, I’m not like a shoegaze elitist. I can’t say I’ve been here for so long because I only got into the genre four years ago, maybe. I think we just never got to see the full potential of it. Bands like Whirr kind of modernized it, and then with the revival everyone just ran with it. With more people doing it, there’s more possibilities for different things to come out of it, whether that be incorporating hyperpop, pop music or heavy alternative metal. Shit like that. There’s a lot more room to grow.
Seeing as Whirr has been so influential on what shoegaze has become in recent years, do you have any favorite albums? Favorite songs by them?
Mateo Ruiz: Sway, it’s easily their best. I think it’s one of the best shoegaze albums ever. We actually got to work with Nick Bassett from Whirr for the EP [Florecer]. He mixed all the songs.
Oh, that’s super sick. What was that experience like?
Mateo Ruiz: It was surreal. It was weird. They kind of started the band in a way, like Blossom. My uncle got me into shoegaze, and he showed me bands like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine and that stuff was cool. But once he showed me Distressor by Whirr I was like, “Well, I want to do shit like this, this dynamic of shoegaze; very much modern.” Not to give those other bands their flowers or anything, but Whirr kind of brought a new wave of sound and possibilities that I wanted to strive for.
Since we’ve been discussing this idea of revival versus classic shoegaze, if you had to pick a few bands from each era which really inspire you, what would those be?
Mateo Ruiz: I would say Slowdive, just because I feel like they set this dreamy, not spoken about rule within shoegaze. You can say any shoegaze band is inspired by Slowdive, but they kind of set this base of the dreamy aspect of shoegaze, in my opinion, much more than something like MBV [My Bloody Valentine] did.
And then newer bands, I think Whirr, if you count them as new. Wisp has done a lot for the genre. I mean, bringing more of that bass-boosted sound. She modernized it a little bit further honestly, especially with the people she works with. A lot of really really cool producers.
Where do you draw your inspirations when it comes to the aesthetic and style of the band?
Mateo Ruiz: Mostly nature, I would say. And I guess this contradicts what we are right now, but I want to go less vibrant. I get a lot of it from movies or sometimes just pictures of nature. I was really into the whole Twilight aesthetic when I was younger, so that shit was cool. I just love darker, more dramatic things.
What non-musical aspects of living and coming up in San Diego have inspired the things you do with Blossom?
Mateo Ruiz: A lot of my friends from school inspire me even though they don’t really do music like that. Family has always inspired me. Growing up in San Diego— I mean, I have nowhere else to compare it to. So it’s always like, “Oh, it’s San Diego.” I guess I take it for granted, but it honestly doesn’t really bring a lot to me creatively, besides the scene.
Do you think you implement any aspects of your culture and your heritage into your music?
Mateo Ruiz: Yeah, by the name of the EP, I wanted to kind of express a little more on that side. But, I never tried to overexpress it. That’s a bad thing to do, but I wanted something that felt natural to me. With the EP, it was something natural that I was like, “Alright, that felt right,” and I wanted to call it that. But I guess aside from the name of the EP, that’s about it.
I think it’s cool that a lot more people of color are starting to make this kind of music too, especially because it was very brought up in Europe and shit. I think it’s cool that we’re, in a way, like, claiming it as ours as well you know? Just seeing bands like Glixen and Cold Gawd. I mean, they make great music, and they happen to be people of color, and that’s sick. Not that I ever personally put myself down for being brown, but seeing these people, it’s like, “Oh shit! They’re doing it too!” It’s inspiring.
How have your experiences and the things you listened to growing up influenced your personal tastes and the music you make now?
Mateo Ruiz: I’m 17 now. When I was like eight or nine, I was really into like 80s—
Hold up, you’re only 17?
Mateo Ruiz: I’m 17.
(A reply given with a speed that ensured me this question had been posed many times before.)
Mateo Ruiz: I was really into ‘80s pop. Michael Jackson and Madonna and stuff like that. When I was, like 10 or 11, my uncle, who has played in, a lot of hardcore bands was like, “That’s cool, but here’s this other world of music.” He showed me Metallica and Nirvana, and then later started moving me towards Weezer, hardcore punk bands like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, and then more towards that group of alternative, raw, bands like Title Fight. Philadelphia bands. Eventually, he started showing more interest in shoegaze and that’s when he began showing me bands like MBV, Slowdive, Lush, and Whirr. That gradual progression of bands, I would say, still has an impact because all of the pop melodies and catchy shit has translated into what I make now.
So you released a single called “While” in July of this year. Could you just give some insight into the process of making and releasing that track?
Mateo Ruiz: “While” is actually a very old song from 2021. There was an original demo, but in my mind, it was the full song of what I was cool with. It was originally released November 13, 2021, and it was recorded in my bedroom; MIDI, drums, guitar, and bass. I guess the origin of that song mainly started with Whirr, because I was really into their song “Leave” at the time, and I was like, “Fuck, it’s so cool that they have an ending song.” More recently, when we were doing the EP, we were just like, “Alright, we have these five songs.” I was really adamant about adding “While” to the mix, but I wanted it to be released separately. I didn’t want it to interfere with the sound of Florecer because I would say that the EP and “While” are pretty different.
You also released your second EP Florecer earlier this year. Can you go track-by-track and tell us about that?
Warm Stay: “Warm Stay” is the opening track, and it’s also the first track I wrote for the EP. It’s literally no different from the demo. Everything’s exactly the same as when I wrote it. I wrote it a day after we played our third out-of-town show in Pomona, and we had played with this band called The Crimes. They had a lot of guitar leads, and I was never really great at them. They kind of inspired me to make a song that was very leady. So, I wrote that song. That’s kind of the origin of that song. It has no meaning. I mean, at least I don’t think it has meaning to me right now. I always usually find the meaning after I write it, but yeah, I’m still trying to find that.
Exempt: I hate to say it, but it’s probably my least favorite, just because I don’t relate to it as much anymore. It’s not the sound I would want to go for now. I guess that song – it sounds so cliche, but it’s about people talking down on you, and what we were doing at the time with people criticizing us or just starting shit.
Drowse: I wish the song had more meaning. It just came out naturally within the band. There wasn’t a demo or anything like that for it. It kind of just came up at practice one time. I would say that’s the least personal song within the EP.
Soothe: “Soothe” is a very personal song. It had a demo that’s exactly like how it was recorded, not exactly sound-wise, but structure-wise. It never got changed. That song’s very personal to me, just with what I was going through at the time.
Shimmer: “Shimmer” is a cool song. We don’t play it a lot anymore, as much as I’d like, but I think it was a good ender song. I wrote “Shimmer” with our bassist at the time, and we wanted to kind of have a “Starting Over” by LSD in the search for God back-and-forth vocal. It was kind of like a duet, I guess you could call it. It was me saying something, him singing something back, and that’s kind of it. We did that in my bedroom with an electric drum kit.
Gear is super integral to shoegaze bands like Blossom. Tell us about your gear. What guitar do you use? What do you like about it and why is it special to you?
Mateo Ruiz: I have a Fender Classic Player, a Jazzmaster made in Mexico. It’s from 2017, and I just bought it last year. I used to play a Squier Jazzmaster before that, which I still use. Pretty much every single Blossom song has used it, but this Classic Player is my first time having a Fender. I saw Nick Bassett from Whirr have it and I was like, “Well, that’s it, that’s the one.” Just a black and red, which I later changed to black and black. That guitar has helped me write a lot of songs and has just been very reliable, and it hasn’t broken down on me yet.
Moving on to pedals. This was something I was really curious about, so talk to us about your pedal board, favorite effects, favorite pedals, any brands that stand out.
Mateo Ruiz: I have a bunch of pedals and I’m always switching through them. I don’t want to say I’m not happy with it, but I always know there’s more I can do. I’ll sell a pedal, get another, and It’s like an endless cycle, you know? I like to stack reverbs a lot. That’s a really big part of our sound. I haven’t really experimented with drives a lot, like fuzzes and distortions. I kind of stick to just the basic Green Russian Big Muff by Electro Harmonix. It just does the job. I’m looking to, maybe in the future, get something a little bit more distinct, but right now I run through an Eventide reverb, and I just bought a Boss RV-R00. I like Electro Harmonix, Boss, and Walrus audio a lot. I’d say those are the three main brands that I look out for.
You guys recently opened for shoegaze giant, Glare, on the San Diego stop of their tour. What has it been like having the opportunity to work with such prevalent bands in the scene right now?
Mateo Ruiz: It’s pretty crazy, because I was really into Glare. They were one of the bands that I found on my own by just wanting more of this modern nu-gaze sound. I saw them live for the first time in 2022, and I was like, “Well, I really want to open up for this band, hopefully in the future!” In July of 2023, we finally got the chance to open for them, they were some of the nicest people we’ve met through playing and were very inspirational. This year, we got to play with them again in Pomona, and then we had the show with them in October with Glixen. It’s almost like a pinch-me moment— I look up to you guys a lot, AND I fuck with your guys’ music, AND I fuck with your guys’ personality. Not to say that everyone is horrible, but it’s always really nice to find people, especially such a big band, that are super down to earth. It’s just cool being able to even consider them as people we’ve talked with.
You have been playing shows since 2021, so I know it must be difficult to remember every single show you guys have played, but is there one that really stands out to you and can you tell us why?
Mateo Ruiz: Can I pick two? First is definitely the EP release show, because that felt like I was getting a lot more help since we didn’t set it up in that great of a time span. It was at this place called Tribal, they’re a brand from San Diego, and they’ve been around for a good bit. Korn used to wear their shit, and bands like P.O.D. and Linkin Park. They were kind enough to let us use their space and dedicate time to being able to make the show possible. It was a very special night, being able to play with the bands that we got to play with. I just wanted to have friends on that lineup— I wanted just pure friends, like Sledges, Junk Star, Big Blue World, India. It was a very special night. The second show, I guess I’d say the first Glare show. It was a very surreal experience even though it wasn’t that huge. In my mind, it was like, “I made it.”
In just three years, Blossom has grown to more than 4000 followers on Instagram and over 60000 listeners on Spotify alone. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to any bands or musicians just starting out?
Mateo Ruiz: Don’t compare yourselves to anyone. I would say, comparison definitely is the thief of joy. A lot of times, I was very stuck up on numbers, and I guess I still am sometimes. A lot of it is just kind of knowing where you’re at at a given moment, and really being able to dive deep into recognizing and knowing why you’re there. Comparing can be good and bad, because comparison can sometimes be asking yourself, “What has this band been doing that I’m not doing? Okay, they’re doing that. Let me take that and bring that to my table.”
Obviously, you’re never going to be where this person’s at or where this person’s at because everyone’s different, you know? You kind of just have to be content with where you’re at, but also have strong motivation, good intentions. Always get intentions with the people you’re trying to interact with. Never put on an act because you’re wanting some bigger band to like you, or even just someone that you want to play with. Everyone’s going to be able to smell that and that’s just not how you do it.
After finding out your age, I’m curious, what was the experience like coming up in the scene so young?
Mateo Ruiz: I would say it helped a lot, but also I was kind of afraid that I’m shit—What if people think it’s only cool because of how old I am, you know what I mean? I was just like, “No, I have to make it cool in general.” Like, don’t make it the bare minimum and be like, “People are gonna think it’s cool because I’m 14 or whatever.” I just wanted to do what was true to myself and what I was feeling like doing. Like I said, it aided, but internally it kind of got me scared sometimes. I never had it in the back of my mind that I’m young as fuck doing this. It was just like, “I’m doing this— I’m just gonna do it.” I’m not gonna try to boost myself because I’m young or anything like that.
That brings us to the last question. What’s next for Blossom? And what should readers and listeners be on the lookout for?
Mateo Ruiz: Follow us on Instagram, @blossomtheband, listen to our shit. I think musically we want to evolve more and push the boundaries of what we’ve done in the past, exaggerate that by 10, go different directions, and not be in any box. Sound-wise, just go darker or whatever we really feel like doing. But yeah, we have songs, and we’re hoping to release them next year and play more shows!
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
All in all, Blossom stands as a shining testament to the power of DIY music. In the weeks since conducting this interview, their following has only continued to grow, as I expect it will continue to even after this interview is ultimately published. One of the most grueling aspects of being a listener, particularly within the realm of shoegaze, is finding musicians whose personality and individuality shine through the hegemony of the genre, and though Blossom’s adherence to current genre norms and inspiration from their colloquial forefathers is evident, these qualities exist in tandem with a gentle vulnerability and general sense of authenticity, which in my opinion, sets them apart from many of their contemporaries. Even beneath the sparkly sheen of dimly lit venues and a cascade of dreamy photos which comprise the majority of their social media page, there is a real humility and reverence for the craft within its members that I can truly appreciate as a supporter of local music, as it is something that is sadly not always seen.
Blossom is a conversation—a sad story your friend tells you in the dark on a cold night.
While I still think they are yet to fully bloom, their music is a gift for any seeking the sweet rush of melancholy and longing wafting over you. I, for one, am eager to see what’s next for this group and how they will continue to grow their roots and tell their personal story.
Bands to Check Out if You Like Blossom!:
Faetooth – Slow rolling shoegaze/doom metal trio from Los Angeles
Sledges – Catchy and melodic nu-gaze from San Diego
Glixen – Dreamy heavy hitting shoegaze from Phoenix, Arizona
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