"Gláss are a three piece band straight outta Greenville, South Carolina that play particularly somber music. Taking the frosty stabs of clean guitar and gloom from 1970s post punk and the cathartic bursts of distortion from 1990s post-hardcore/noise rock and subtle nods to post rock and ambient music, Gláss twist all these style into a sound that is distinctly their own.
Each track exhibits gripping tension through buildups and sudden switches between quiet atmospherics, atonal guitar noise and massive riffs. Both vocalists adopt an emotionally distant, and softly delivered approach that remains cold and melancholic throughout the entirety of Foreign Bastard, letting the instruments convey the mood instead.
If you're the sort of person that loves the build ups and crescendos of post rock but can't be bothered to wait 10 minutes for them to happen, have a particularly soft spot for Louisville, Kentucky or just have a profound appreciation for moody, dark music this one's for you." - Fucked by Noise.
"On their debut EP Greenville band Gláss delve into the murky waters of post-punk in their own way. Songs that breathe with spacey dissonance often explode into pounding drums and 90’s rumbling distortion. Founded by Aaron Burke (ex-Art Contest/Grey Spy) on guitar and vocals, and drummer Samuel Goldsmith (1/3 of the Francis Vertigo) the band has gradually evolved from a heavier sound to a less heavy more post-punk sound since they formed in the summer of 2014. They’re still a young band finding their sound, but the common thread seems to be mostly instrumental guitar rock layered with vocals that serve less as the centerpiece of any song and more as an accent to each track. On the EP’s second track “S-Man” Burke mutters lazily locked in a pendulum melody a repeated refrain that becomes hypnotic as the track chugs on." - SceneSC
On the missing WSBF live session:
"There is darker tinge to the latent heaviness in the angular groove of ” I’m Made of Plastic” – it’s vague in its allusions to stoner rock. This is one of the album’s most original songs, because you can’t pin it to one sub-genre, much less a band they are drawing inspiration from. Not that their influences aren’t more apparent in certain portions of the album. They find more crunch in the closing song (and Spark) finding a perfect balance of clean, effected guitar tones with a organic heavy feeling, so it never feels like you listening to mall metal, though at times comparisons to bands like Hum and Helmet could apply. I can appreciate how steeped in various angles of the 90s these cats are.
This is a live recording, which is even more impressive. Either they were running into a board of Clemson radio station, or someone really knew how to mic a room. This session is a easy listen that combines genres seamlessly. They have only been together for a year, so I look forward to what the future holds for these guys and hearing what kind of range they might encompass on a full length. Doom is one of my favorite sub-genres of metal, but I feel the band’s potential really lies into this unique blend of morose indie rock." - Will Cifer of Cvlt Nation
credits
released March 17, 2020
All songs written by Gláss.
Track 1 Recorded by Aaron J. Burke
Tracks 2 - 6 recorded by Reuben D. Knights.
Track 7 Recorded by Chris Wenner at Seaboard Recording Studio.
Mastered by Jay Matheson.
A renewed recording of our first EP, with a few extra songs from that era.
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Super cool ESG-style herky-jerky post-punk with lots of groove, attitude, and glitched out electronics plus wiry guitars. Truly wild stuff! Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 27, 2023