Review Summary: humble beginnings.
The DIY scene is such a precious thing. The small houses, record stores, shitty bars, and street shows where you're all sweaty in a circle with kids you kind of know but not well enough to be friends, as the act in front of you gives all they’ve got to you and the other 20 people around you. It's quite honestly a fucking beautiful thing. With the lo-fi scene rising up in the wake of bands akin to teen suicide, elvis depressedly, and Car Seat Headrest, that rise in good ol' suburbia has only become much more apparent. This is the niche that yr glow fit into with their debut EP,
yr glow. Coming out of the underground ruins that lay in Southwest Florida, yr glow offers a naive, yet humble, take on the lo-fi bandcamp scene, by putting together their own surf rock-esque spin, which is evoked by their subtly sporadic guitar work. With the short 10 minute run
yr glow offers, they really hold no punches and throw all they have with every track on here.
And like every DIY debut, just because they throw all they have doesn’t mean they’re throwing much. But the truth is, that’s completely okay, because they use this to their benefit. The cheap/fuzzy production serves to set an
actually unique atmosphere within the bandcamp realm for once, with songs like “all 4 u” and “eternal happiness (just isn’t possible).” These songs showcasing the band’s capabilities to be able to craft decent hooks with D’angelo Casanas’ vocals howling nasally over the band’s energetic yet somber soundscapes. Lead guitarist James Moore also does an incredible job showcasing his surf roots on songs like “adventures in super wok” (which has a killer bass intro from Nik Kulpanowski on it just saying) and the waltzy “worth it,” which give off intriguing oceanic imagery to the suburban bandcamp sound. The changes between each song feel diverse enough to keep interesting, especially with the full-on ambient electronic interlude courtesy of drummer Ethan Thomas, that somehow fits perfectly within the tracklisting. That's what works so well about yr glow; it doesn't overstay its welcome whatsoever whereas a lot of bands in the scene typically do. Most people can't really sit through 45+ minutes of teen suicide worship in 2017 anyway.
Listen here:
https://yrglowfl.bandcamp.com/album/yr-glow
