ALBUM The Remnants of Losing Yourself in Someone Else// ARTIST Glass Ocean
Sometimes in order to find yourself you have to first lose yourself, and the same can frequently be said for many artistic endeavours. And it's on the debut album from Sydney prog rockers Glass Ocean that a collective lifetime of creative and personal growth is on full display as The Remnants of Losing Yourself in Someone Else offers a spellbinding take on the progressive provinces.
Forming back in 2013 with vocalist Tobias Atkins and Northlane drummer Nic Pettersen, Glass Ocean eventually grew to incorporate members based in both Sydney and Melbourne, while also growing a fresh and profound brand of lush sonic tranquility and slick instrumentation that has steadily built to the release of the debut album The Remnants of Losing Yourself in Someone Else due out August 21. And as both the album and band name attests to, there are certainly some vitric ruminations lying in wait across the space of 11 tracks.
Starting out with impassioned restraint, the lustrous Voyage accurately sets the scene with its billowing textures, clean guitars and the creamy vocals of Tobias Atkins. Here, not only do the band establish their transcendental writing prowess, they also flex their intimate narrative flair as the track details youth, impatience and the inevitable consequences of journeying down the wrong path in life.
VOYAGE (GLASS OCEAN)
Up next, A Dream From Which I May Not Wake ebbs and flows with reverberated grooves, while Beyond Us tackles fear and shortcomings in a slightly heavier setting as the group oscillate their textural sonic universe between electronic flourishes, thicker riffs and stripped-back reprieves.
Firmly occupying the middle of the album are a run of tracks not yet revealed in the lead-up to the eventual release, from unnatural bliss (Asteroid Blue) to jangly introspection (Burn), synth-heavy chill (Soul Slumber) and punchy grooves (Divide). And it's during this mid-range journey that Glass Ocean truly explore ever corner of their capabilities, flitting between genres, influences and temporal constraints effortlessly while still retaining their true core sound of hypnotic warmth.
BOLERO (GLASS OCEAN)
Ambient funk oozes out next on the mesmerising Bolero, as Atkins prowls around the track with serpentine ease before Pride elegantly leaps in bearing some snappy pop sensibilities and striking percussion. And before the album ultimately comes to a close, we are gifted with a sleek interlude via Self and Sacrifice that throatily advocates forging on amidst the struggles while ultimately leading into the synthy Almaida, emphatically closing proceedings with its sprawling soundscapes, sharp rhythmics and glittering guitars.
As a band faced heavily with anticipation from the progressive and broader music scenes for their debut full-length, Glass Ocean have seamlessly risen to the occasion with The Remnants of Losing Yourself in Someone Else. Like a rich tapestry that is, at times, devilishly undefinable and tantalisingly irresistible, the overall album is a boundless journey that offers up so much beyond its glossy surface for those willing to dive deeper; and that's what ultimately poses The Remnants of Losing Yourself in Someone Else as a delicious triumph from a band who have painstakingly carved their sonic identity with so much finesse and elegant ease. Whether you follow the siren call of the woozy ambience and lulling riffs, or you dip beneath the shroud into the hard-hitting thematics, there is truly something for everyone on this exquisite album, and it's no doubt a sensational drop in the ocean ahead of where this talented bunch will head next in their musical journey.
GLASS OCEAN'S DEBUT LP THE REMNANTS OF LOSING YOURSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE WILL OFFICIALLY DROP ON AUGUST 21 VIA WILD THING RECORDS. FOR PRE-ORDERS, HEAD HERE.
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BEYOND US (GLASS OCEAN)
BY TIANA SPETER