Over the past few years, what began as a solitary experiment in bedroom synth-pop for Title Fight’s Ned Russin has crystallised into a fully-fledged band with real heft. Leaning into evolution with intent on their first full-length for Purple Circle Records — the new label co-owned by Russin — ‘erer’ is Glitterer’s most focused, immediate, and thematically pointed release so far.
Recorded alongside long-time collaborator Arthur Rizk, the tight 10-track collection veers between emotionally-gutting intimacy and vast contemplations on life. A widescreen quality shines through the booming stereo guitars and shimmering keys of Stainless Steel and the bass-heavy swagger of opener Somebody. There’s undeniable confidence to be found, but it’s in Russin’s lyrics that we see the grit and vulnerability beneath the album’s outer gloss.
Steeped in confusion, anger, and fatigue, ‘erer’ recognises the feeling of impending doom that goes hand-in-hand with modern living, yet continues marching forward no matter how futile it feels.
Painting a picture of a world obsessed with constant taking and quiet complacency, it circles around life’s vast, uneasy questions with precious little in the way of melodrama.
While certainly blunt and disarming at points, Russin’s ruthless clarity feels right at home amid the nervy guitar lines and flickering keys of Remind Me and Incremental. Self-aware yet never self-indulgent, on Until and Not Forever the frontman puts forth criticisms of individualism and the myth of endless progress. The latter track sits at the album’s mid-point, its vocals evolving from a muted, weary croon to an anguished wail as the simmering tension boils over into a glorious burst of energy.
The mid-tempo pacing of ‘erer’ is unlikely to bring instant thrills, but spend time with it and its subtleties begin to bubble to the surface. Owing much to Rizk’s production, Glitterer’s signature lo-fi grit coexists with an unexpectedly lush sense of space here, resulting in the project’s sharpest statement yet. Refining their vision rather than reinventing it, it’s a record that fully acknowledges how bleak things feel, while insisting that art and expression still have infinite value.
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