Backed by a handful of releases that each expanded both their creative and audience reach, Stereo Glow emerge this season with a highly-anticipated debut album, and it’s everything the singles promised and more.
Featuring the likes of the sublime indie alternative track Dig It Up, Where There Are No Words showcases the band’s delicate fusion of organic rock layers and expressive, almost ethereal tones and vocals.
In amidst this is imagery-laden songwriting, passionate melodic ventures, and a subtle yet unmistakable sense of identity that rings loud throughout the new project.
The album kicks into gear with a pop-rock influence of short lines and colourful, acoustic intricacies for Captivation. Already the band shine light on another side to their versatile approach, yet still that voice, the higher-toned chorus and harmonies, all prove recognizable.
This opening song gets better and better as it progresses, strength of writing really setting the band apart – interesting structures, shifting rhythms and a devoted level of unity between musicians.
Jessica Jellen and Mark Burke make up Stereo Glow, with ten songs lighting up the listening experience that is Where There Are No Words. It’s an album packed with strong grooves and smooth vibes intermittently – softly passionate vocals and refreshingly new melodies and stories offering originality and relatable, compelling reflections.
In every case, the band employ contrast to lighten the weight of lyrical implications – the calmness of The Next Ice Age an easy and timeless example, The Rain Became An Ocean another; and a definite highlight for its haunting synth and comforting chorus of voices.
The guitar sounds and rhythms throughout Where There Are No Words offer a distinct and welcomed alternative to much of the soft-rock and songwriter realm of late. This quality varies from track to track, but always presents a blissful and dynamic arena of sound. When you combine that with the fascinating poetry and premise of each track, the project feels increasingly like an indie classic.
Other highlights include the hauntingly hypnotic Party Rumble, the subsequently intriguing and stylish Changing The Light, and the upbeat and anthemic Lee Runs Free. Really though, the album in full is where the true blessing of escapism resides, and for me it’s an easy go-to unconfined by genre or the current flavor of the scene.
Find Stereo Glow on Facebook & Instagram.
