St. Louis-based musician Beth Bombara’s It All Goes Up is for this moment what Kathleen Edwards’ Back To Me was for the early 2000s. It’s all there – the songwriting first and foremost with a voice that connects on a raw, emotional level alongside production led by Bombara’s undeniable musicality, retaining the intimacy of being wholly conceived by the artist herself. Bombara produced this album herself, along with her partner, Kit Hamon. The drums, bass, and rhythm guitar were all tracked live, with lush sonic layers laid on top of the basic rhythm section one by one. Supported by her smart musical sensibilities, emotionally savvy lyric writing, and the strength of her production skills, Bombara’s latest batch of songs shine.

Bombara’s last album, Evergreen, was well-received by fans and media alike. “The likes of Aimee Mann and Jewel are fair comparisons,” noted the L.A. Weekly, “every tone is tinged with emotion, nothing is wasted.”

With It All Goes Up, Bombara has risen to a new level and let some light in. “There’s more light, more hope in this record,” she says, “and it feels more positive sonically, as well.” These songs were written during the chaos of the past couple years, and the time found Bombara looking for silver linings, writing to keep herself positive and keep her mind open and fresh.

She continues, “During the pandemic I reconnected with an old guitar that had been collecting dust in my closet for many years. It’s a classical guitar, and I wrote a lot of the songs for this record on it, which brought something different to them and took the tone of the record in a new direction.” Bombara’s songwriting certainly did take a turn – upwards, in more ways than one.

Bombara spent years on the road in other bands before encouragement from peers led her to start writing and performing her own music. “I never set out to be a lead singer,” she admits. “I wasn’t comfortable being in the spotlight like that. I struggled with anxiety and talking into a microphone just froze me up.” Yet the songs were there. So Bombara slowly started performing her own material, watering the seeds that would grow into her own flourishing career. After releasing her first album, she was invited to perform in front of 10,000 people at the Missouri Botanical Gardens Whitaker Music Festival, and that was a breakthrough moment for her as a performer. “I figured, if I can do that, I can do anything.”

Bombara wrote the track “Moment” as a reminder to herself to live fully in the present. “When the world sort of came back after lockdown, I wasn’t ready for it,” she says. “I’d adjusted to this slower pace of life, which gave me space to examine my priorities and what really brings me joy.”

“Moment” goes live to DSPs on Friday July 14 and the album pre-save link is HERE

Exclusive quote from Beth Bombara re this video:

“I had a few shows out in Arizona, so we took the opportunity to film during that trip. Being an avid hiker, I couldn’t resist getting footage from the Seven Falls trail in Sabino Canyon, AZ as well as out in the Saguaro National Forest. Then of course, I really wanted to take a detour to White Sands National Park, and Roswell NM. I like to mix in some leisure/exploring time with touring whenever possible, and this trip it really worked out!”.

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