Brand new LP from Glitter Etiquette

Over the last three years, New York-based Glitter Etiquette have been making an impression since their debut in 2022, rising from the haze with a sound that’s equal parts abrasive and tender. Their take on modern noise pop is disruptive in the best sense, fusing shoegaze textures with an aesthetic that feels firmly grounded in the present while hinting at a future beyond genre frameworkds.

From their very first single, “Canción de Cuna,” through their EP Silicone Bodies and well-received releases since, the band has earned a reputation for creating songs that are at once emotionally impactful and sonically engaging. There’s a gravitational pull to their work, drawing on reverb-drenched guitars and the context of romantic defiance in their lyrics, resulting in music that subdues as much as it stirs. They channel the reflective gaze of 90s alternative without getting lost in nostalgia, instead using it as a lens to sharpen their own view of the modern world.

Now, with their first full-length album titled CERULEAN – Deep Blue, they’ve delivered an emphatic statement of purpose. The record presents an engrossing musical voyage that pushes their vision to widescreen scale, composing a cinematic journey that spans both the internal cosmos and the fractured external world. The release thematically revolves around a symbolic conflict; a celestial standoff between the gentle calm of blue and the oppressive weight of a metaphorical red army. It’s a clash of ideas that speaks to empathy versus ego, unity versus division, vision versus decay.

While that may sound abstract, the music wraps these notions in feeling, where thick textures swirl and melodies arrive ghostly but gripping. Propelled by a sense of forward motion throughout, the album plays with the scope of a sci-fi epic but retains the emotional intimacy of a whispered confession. Glitter Etiquette manage to be both grandiose and grounded, charting the arc of disillusionment in a hyper-mediated world while still making it feel profoundly personal.

Jumping straight into a synth-driven soundscape of opening track “Cows,” bright instrumental tones and fuzzy percussion meet pulsing bass lines and airy vocal leads to form an uptempo synth rock jam that’s catchy and memorable from start to finish. “Blue Plastic” slows things down with the soft twang of guitar notes and laid back patter of percussion, forging a misty atmosphere as mellow vocal leads drift through the smokey arrangement to offer a mesmeric listening experience.

With “Possession,” the moody charge of buzzy bass and splash of drums brings in an intense synth-inflected scene as brooding vocal elements ring out above, channeling a dark wave vibe filtered through Glitter Etiquette’s fiercely original musical output. Other highlights on the record include songs like “Morning Pretty Eyes” with its lilting rhythmic sway of delicate guitar notes, softly struck drums and hushed vocal delivery, capturing the band’s unique songwriting in a breezy setting that puts their sonic range on full display.

“Propaganda” arrives with a hurried energy as tapped percussion and lightly gritty instrumentation forms an energising backdrop for the processed vocals. With commanding performance, infectious melodic hooks glide above the invigorating arrangement, laying down an epic slice of the band’s rock-tinged alternative pop sound. Closing the album with “Burning Planet,” the warble of vocalisations, spacey instrumental dashes and steady groove of the beat sets up a superb finale for the band’s sensational new record that’s entirely original, highly enjoyable and truly enduring all at once.

Listen to CERULEAN – Deep Blue below