Chilled rhythms, nostalgic keys and retro production back up the distinct vocal sound and unorthodox stories of Shiny Glide’s EP Thank You Forever. Four original tracks make up the project, capturing attention for their originality in style and topic, yet connecting for their simplicity of tune and the satisfying nature of each groove.
Multi-instrumentalist, producer and poet Antony Venneri writes and records songs under the moniker of Shiny Glide – a creative project of retro tones, meandering melodies and dark, provocative stories. As an example, Criminal Fantasies introduces the Thank You Forever EP in a way that intrigues and quickly lays bare the unique tendencies and fearless stream of ideas that make up his music.
From the whispered falsetto and haunting overtones of Criminal Fantasies, we move into a similarly lo-fi trip-hop pace for Midnight Sighs, the voice deeper now but no less humble and recognisable in its rise and fall throughout these verses.
Design-wise I’m reminded of the kind of home-made production sound of Big City Life, this easy-going but effective presentation of melody and beat united amidst a mellow overall vibe and performance. The sounds delivered are unexpected, creative and colourful, but rarely overbearing. The music is unusual, but interesting, and there are as many moments of familiarity as there are those that stop you in your tracks a little.
The keyboard freedom and adlib approach of Shiny Glide seems prominent for Sexy Flashbacks. The track has a demo-mode feel and an intensely explicit sexual storyline which, together makes for a bizarre take on contemporary songwriting. The title and childlike artwork for this EP seemed a little inappropriate in light of the content; it should perhaps come with an explicit content label – something this particular track does. However, in Shiny’s own words: “Songs like Criminal Fantasies and Sexy Flashback express and celebrate my darkest side and the libertine and transgressive part of my nature and personality….
“There is no contradiction in the soul, all colours and all sides are legitimate, the childish art and the spiritual song as a title express the innocence and happy coexistence and legitimization of contradictive forces, inspiration and narrations.”
The closing song is the title-piece Thank You Forever, a calming reflection of love and gratitude, which conceptually makes sense in terms of the title, but otherwise struggles to tie up the threads between the four songs. The first two unsettle and haunt, the third shocks, and the fourth just softly rolls along – an electro-pop alternative that’s perhaps the most likable of all.
Shiny Glide undoubtedly has a style that stands out as his own right now. The voice in both design and performance is easy to recognise, and each new story presents something completely unpredictable. As an artist, Shiny Glide is unafraid to portray his dark and wild sides in the face of a ‘digital era dominated and polluted by the brutal control of social media dictatorship’. The music is free from the confines of influence or expectation, and as such gifts listeners a decidedly unmistakable experience.
Find Shiny Glide on Facebook, Instagram & his Website.
