Built around the melodic and lyrically oblique songwriting of Irish-Persian musician Sam R., Glassio has become one of New York City’s staple Indie-Electronic outfits over the past seven years, garnering millions of streams online and amassing a loyal fanbase around the world. Born out of a love for applying a melodic sweetness to brooding dance beats, the indie-pop outfit has carved out a unique sound that often bridges influences from Big Beat to Chamber Pop to New Wave.
Born and raised in both Sharjah in the Middle East and Monterey in California, Sam R. fell in love with music listening to Pet Sounds and Graceland on his way to school in the mornings. “It was that juxtaposition of hearing Brian Wilson’s harmonies in a very barren, desert/Arabian landscape that I think planted the seeds for my love for making music that mixes different influences and challenges associations you might have with certain instruments,” Sam explains.
A Debut EP Poptimism was released in 2016 to critical acclaim and viral success with lead single “Try Much Harder” peaking at No. 9 on the Global Viral Charts on Spotify. A series of singles and the Age of Experience EP followed in 2018, further cementing Glassio as an act that “proves that electronic music and great storytelling are a perfect match.”
A full-length album, For The Very Last Time, was released via Downtown Music in 2020, garnering over seven million streams online, and recognition from Bandcamp as one of the best electronic albums of the year. The record featured guest vocals from Brooklyn-based songwriter Daneshevskaya. The follow-up album, See You Shine, made waves in Europe, charting at No. 1 on multiple iTunes Charts around the world. The lead single “Breakaway” was featured in Amazon Studios’ feature film Don’t Make Me Go and Netflix’s Locke and Key.
The next year will see the release of a string of collaborative singles, starting with “A Friend Like You” featuring LA-based Indie-Dream-Pop artist Beauty Queen, and follow-up single “Will You Still Come Back Tomorrow?” featuring Rodes Rollins and Mumble Tide. Look out for the artist’s recently released end-of-year-inspired single to reflect on what we have lost and what we still have. It features the vocal harmonies from Brooklyn-based singer Rodes Rollins and Bristol alt-bedroom pop duo Mumble Tide. Weaving together influences from Brit-Pop to Brian Wilson to The Flaming Lips, “Will You Still Come Back Tomorrow?” is an episodic, 4-track single meant to be listened to from start to finish, outlining the 4-stages of a long goodbye.
For further information on the artist, and his collaborators visit the following links:
- https://www.instagram.com/glassiomusic
- https://www.instagram.com/ladyrodes
- https://www.instagram.com/mumble_tide
Image provided by Nora May
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