Shearwater

Shearwater is an American indie rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 1999 led by multi-instrumentalist and lead singer Jonathan Meiburg. Singer Jesca Hoop, a solo artist in her own right, is also a band member. They have released a string of albums on various labels including most notably through Matador and Sub Pop.

The seeds of alternative trio Loma were sown in 2015 when Shearwater percussionist Thor Harris missed his regular gig to collaborate with Austin duo Cross Record on Wabi-Sabi, their debut album for Ba Da Bing. Knowing that Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg would be interested in what Harris had been up to during his absence, label boss Ben Goldberg sent him a CD of the album. Meiburg was blown away by the young band's maturity and power, and invited them to tour with Shearwater.

During the tour, he became close friends with the duo, consisting of married couple Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski, and they decided to write some songs together. Excited at having come up with material that was more than the sum of its parts, the trio decided to record an album together at Cross Record's isolated home studio in the tiny town of Dripping Springs, Texas.

During the sessions, unbeknownst to Meiburg, Cross and Duszynski's marriage was disintegrating. The unspoken tension and anxiety doubtless informed the resulting material, which was released under the name Loma by Shearwater's label Sub Pop in early 2018.