The Cactus Blossoms w/ Margo Cilker

At its best, harmony duo singing can transform simple math into a magic trick. One plus one, instead of equaling two, suddenly yields an unexpected third thing. An upper-case ONE. A universal hum. A deep vibration that encompasses two different points of view. On their latest release, Every Time I Think About You, brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, aka The Cactus Blossoms, once again prove themselves to be among the most adept – and distinctive – modern practitioners of that magic. But like any great magician, The Cactus Blossoms can’t – or won’t – fully explain the illusion they create.

 

“Harmonies are a big part of our sound, but in some ways they’re the part we focus on the least,” says Burkum. “We put most of our attention and energy into the songs themselves and then the harmonies just happen.”

 

There’s all kinds of magic happening on Every Time I Think About You, a record that sounds more like a band than any other in the Cactus Blossoms discography, thanks to contributions from Jeremy Hanson (drums), Jacob Hanson (guitar) and Phillip Hicks (bass). “There She Goes” casts its romantic regret against a danceable bop beat, and the title track is a heart-wrencher about loss and letting go.

 

“Even if you don’t set out to write songs with a theme in mind it seems like one usually presents itself,” says Torrey. “This record keeps returning to the idea of ‘moving on’ — from one place to another, from people and situations that bring you down, from loss and grief.”

 

Margo Cilker:

Hailed as “the future Lucinda Williams of the West” (Bandcamp Daily), Margo Cilker writes country-classic songs that hum with ancestry and expanse, turning grief — both personal and collective — into something restorative. Cilker was raised in the fifth generation of a California orchard family and is now based in the rural Pacific Northwest, making music rooted in a deep reverence for the land and those who came before. The release of her stunning 2021 debut Pohorylle saw Rolling Stone proclaim, “Cilker shows that she is as interested in reinvigorating Southern country-folk storytelling tropes as she is in exposing their flaws,” and Pitchfork deemed her a “country artist who pushes against conventions of the genre.” Her highly acclaimed sophomore record Valley of Heart’s Delight landed on Best Albums of 2023 lists across the U.S. and UK, with NPR Music praising, “Cilker’s sound is classic cowboy country, but her sensibility is totally now.” As she readies her next project, Cilker draws on the deep tradition of Texas singer-songwriters, having traveled to Lockhart to record with Bruce Robison — the writer and producer behind work by Charley Crockett, Lee Ann Womack, George Strait, and The Chicks.