Polars/Poro/Mimi Arden

A local indie/art rock group, Polars features songwriters Justin Miller and Kurt Eyman. The two independently recorded the group’s debut EP, Into the Pines, in 2015 in a home studio located just off the shores of Lake Erie. Last year, the group began the writing process for Native Carbon Bloom. Miller and Eyman teamed up with local orchestrator/composer Etienne Massicotte on the album, which features more than 20 musicians and utilizes a wide array of instrumentation, including various string, brass and woodwind orchestral arrangements. Lyrics touch on themes such as the impacts of global warming, terraform/space exploration, the media influence on race relations and the “politically disenfranchised.” The sonically rich album opener "Harvest" sets the tone for the terrific collection of tunes. (Niesel)