Review by Amanda Daubert – When an album feels nostalgic, comfortable, and familiar when you listen to it for the very first time, you know you have something special, and that’s what you’ll find with The Glorious Sons fourth studio album Glory. A beautiful compilation of ten tracks that offer an introspective storytelling ability, which creates a cinematic visual for any listener, taking them through the common emotions of life as seen by a songwriter that is anything but that.
Co-produced by Frederik Thaae, who also produced the band’s prior album A War on Everything, Glory shares the same passionate songwriting, and rich sound, but this album is different in so many fascinating ways. Glory showcases an incredible restraint, passion, and vulnerability which is indicative of the growth of the band individually, and as a whole.
Kicking off the album is the title track “Glory.” Offering a quick fingered acoustic guitar picking intro that sets the stage for the evolved sound of the album, which is then beautifully paired with the warm delivery of lead singer Brett Emmons vocals. At the start the track offers a peaceful, dreamlike narrative which builds in strength, emotion and conviction. The passion and heart behind the lyrics, paired with the strong yet delicate message, is a powerful combination demonstrated throughout the forthcoming tracks.
Up next is the first single off the album, “Mercy Mercy.” Released two months before the album, “Mercy Mercy” created quite a buzz upon its release. Fans of The Glorious Sons were intrigued by the evolution of sound with the more southern rock stylings, quick picking of the acoustic guitar, and slightly more laid-back vocals during the songs. The down-home feel of the song was visualized in its simplistic music video which features Emmons in a denim shirt, sitting on an old armchair in the back of a pickup truck, driving down a dirt road. Listening to the lyrics, which can have so many meanings, it’s hard not to think some of the seemingly personal defiances were as much about Emmons as it was about tracks off A War on Everything. Statements like “I’m not the same, I’m not insane. I’m not a hateful thing” and “I was never as mad as I thought I was” would certainly refute messages from songs like “Panic Attack” and “A Funny Thing Happened.” The lyrics about growth and personal triumph are certainly more than just words on this track.
Song three feels like a romantic rock and roll timewarp to an earlier decade with “Cellular.” A declarative love song about the deepest, most ingrained type of love, love on a cellular level. This honest exposure of passion, emotion, and conviction will be a sight to behold when performed live, with so many fans who feel this level of affection for the band. Up next is another pre-released single, “Dream.” Emmons shared his personal take when writing this track, “This song is about fighting the power of nostalgia with a relentless struggle to stay present.” That message is truly felt throughout with an airy sound and grounding lyrics.
Midway through the album is another pre-released single, “House Lights.” This captivatingly raw display of emotion, with poetic lyrics like “Did you weave me through your dreams, just to keep me around somewhere, I’m looking into your eyes, but I’m not really there,” portray a heartbreakingly honest story. The painfully descriptive lyrics easily create a cinematic experience for any listener. Counting us in as we turn up the energy a bit, we arrive at “Speed Of Light,” a spirited track with a harmonious sing-along chorus. With funky guitar riffs, a strong display of Emmons vocal range, and enjoyable sway-to the lyrics, this song offers a reprieve from some of the heavier themes of the album.
With the second released single we are treated to “Lightning Bolt.” The song portrays a new character in The Glorious Sons storybook, similar to the highly regarded “Josie,” with just as much personality and apparent history, but deserving of a chapter all her own. Up next is the unreleased stand-out track, “You Stay Young,” which made a few appearances on the bands setlists last year. The heartbeat of the kick drum, paired with the fast paced lyrics and hauntingly graceful string accompaniment elicits a strong emotion, which is impossible to not be felt while listening to the track. The heightened emotion of this song is certainly felt tenfold when performed live.
Catching your breath a bit, we slow things down and are transported to The Church of The Glorious Sons, with “Time Will Reign Down On Me.” The breathtakingly stunning harmonies throughout the track demonstrate how beautifully the souls of this band blend together. It truly goes beyond lyrics and music, there is something special between these six hearts that find a way to beat as one. Rounding out the album is the final track, “Cosmic Beam,” a heartfelt promise to be there for a friend in their time of need. Another vulnerable track with a delightful string accompaniment.
From start to finish this album is nothing of what you would expect, but yet everything you could have wanted. As a band that has grown and matured in front of their fans for the last twelve years, these ten tracks display that inevitable evolution. As Brett Emmons put it, “Every detail on this album was important to me— and though I can’t control how people will receive it, I did my best to control how kindly I look back on the music and the process. That was the most important thing this time around. When things don’t come easily, how do you respond? We were gritty as fuck, and we represented ourselves to the truest form possible. I guess that’s all just a long form way of describing growth. So there you go. It sounds like growth to me.”
If you want to witness the growth of this incredible band live, you can catch them on their epic 57-city North American tour kicking off alongside their album release September 6th, and be sure to stream Glory everywhere you get your music!
