On “Big Picture” Jacksonville’s Chalooby Pens a Worthy Upbeat Downer

In late May, Jacksonville-based act Chalooby dropped Bloom FM, an 11-track offering of dream pop that serves as a worthy and divergent follow up to 2022’s hazy long player, lofi love.

Chalooby is the brainchild of local singer-songwriter Micah George. While he offers that the sound was inspired by everything from ‘60s surf rock to ‘80s synth pop — or “poppy hits wrapped in a sound resembling the start of your dreams after taking a ton of melatonin and if it were narrated by cassette tapes” — the song the “Big Picture” plays like a George Harrison/Brian Eno/early ‘80s Robyn Hitchcock chimera.

The penultimate track from his sophomore release Bloom FM, “Big Picture” is dream-pop on the darker gradient. When George sings “I’m just having fun” in a breezy way, it’s hard to discern if he’s assuring the listener or himself. Clocking in at nearly-six-minutes can test even the most patient ears, but George mixes in enough chorus-drenched guitar and gurgling, cooing electronic washes to keep “Big Picture” in relative focus. All in all, a nice offering from the Duval music underground.