Dublin alternative-rock act Glassgears make a promising, yet flawed, début with their E.P The Right Side.
The large-scale, highly stylised production aesthetic of The Right Side is firmly established in the E.P’s title-track which opens the record. Containing dynamic lifts that define the choruses sharply from the rest of the song, Glassgears multi-influenced music finds it’s home with the band sounding confident and settled. Something that is not often the case in début releases.
Keeping in step with the hard-rock/post-grunge feel of The Right Side, ‘Joshua Thorne’ drives the record forward in terms of energy while the intricate, progressive-rock tinge of ‘Stonebag’ showcases the talent and ability at Glassgears disposal.
But it is the E.P’s shortest track ‘Sefton Drive’ that proves the most intriguing sonically. While buried under an ill-advised and clichéd voice-over, the harmonically rich ambience and depth of field that underscores the song hints at something quite special and promising in comparison the more standard, almost overtly “radio rock”, feel of the rest of the record.
The Right Side is the sound of a band trying to find themselves artistically while falling fowl of several début record tropes, such as protracted song-length (usually the result of live performance feeding too closely into studio work) and becoming derivative of their influences rather than inspired by them. However, these are all symptoms of a group in their earliest form and can be eradicated over time .
With this début, the band show clear signs of promise with the more relevant and brooding sound of ‘Sefton Drive’. In future the group will have to start exploring and defining who they are as a band rather than who their influences are. It’s then and only then that they can capitalise in the promise of this stand-out track.
Rating: 7/10
The Right Side by Glassgears is out on July 19th.