Your Hellbound Heart
Weyrd Son, 2021
10/10
Listen to Your Hellbound Heart
The sophomore album the Los Angeles rockers Glaare, the quartet bring some guests to their post-punk, goth friendly and ominous New Wave hybrid that is Your Hellbound Heart, where melancholy, introspection and much beauty reside alongside the often chilling landscape.
“Young Hell” starts the listen with a firm ‘80s post-punk influence as Rachael Pierce’s pretty yet gritty vocals guide the strong drumming from Brandon Pierce and angular guitar work thanks to Rex Elle, and this throwback appeal follows to the swift “For Sale”, where buzzing synth adds much to the charged, melodic environment.
There’s just 8 tracks here, and each one is fantastic. In the middle, “Buyer’s Remorse” injects a danceable quality similar to what we adored so much about New Order, while “Divine Excess” throbs playfully amid crisp percussion and strategic bass from Marisa Prietto, not mention Ross Farrar’s backing vocals on the dreamy album highlight.
Nearing the exit, “2 Cents” offers a lush and layered display of synth-pop meets darkwave greatness, and “Your Hellbound Heart” exits the listen on a calm note, as a surreal climate is built around warbly synth, plenty of ambience and absorbing dream-pop.
If names like Joy Division, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine or Siouxsie And The Banshees occupy a space in your collection, then Glaare certainly should, too, as they embrace all the hallmarks of those legends with a modern spirit that will appeal to the indie-rock crowd as well.
Travels well with: Creux Lies- The Hearth; Blackout Transmission- Sparse Illumination