Gleemer’s sound is the perfect complement for spending a quiet cloudy day wrapped up in the sheets. Their latest release Down Through, is the sort of record you can sit still with and have a wonderful time connecting with its emotions. It’s music that doesn’t impose or suggest extreme feelings of happiness or sadness, instead lingering perfectly at the middle, along the grey lines with light blues and soft pinks. Perfect representations for feelings of nostalgia, doubt and loneliness.
It’s first and foremost sentimental rock music, although it detracts itself from midwest emo and pop rock by its distinct blend of guitars with jangly riffs and shimmering shoegaze. Corey Coffman’s vocals carefully blend through the mix in an unobtrusive manner. It moves in a hush, almost like a whisper to complement the lush guitar tones, without any inflections to elevate or lower the energy. Restrained and careful, perfectly content to leave the guitars and spankingly punchy drums to dictate the terms. It feels like we’re along with him, lost and indecisive in a tumult of conflicting emotions. A perfect choice to illustrate the sort of feelings these songs exude.
Opener “Brush Back” uses this to explore themes of separation and the anxiety associated with it. It’s evocative and at times draining, which is especially apt as it highlights the fear of having a heart that : “beats to nothing.” “Take” uses a similar concept, albeit with more layers of striking riffs and heavier distortion to drive home resentment against one who goes around taking whatever they want.
In “Worth”, Gleemer strips down the guitars to tell a more heartfelt story. Acoustic strings intermingle with the vocals and ringing chimes. The lyrics remain esoteric, but the gloomy mood is palpable with all of its elements seamlessly merging into one.
It all comes together in “Casino”, which feels like a culmination of all the ideas in the album. Coffman feels a lot more spiteful here, with an inflection of bitterness in every word. The sections are more dynamic, playing with the soft and loud techniques they’ve been using to its highest form. The chorus sits at the heart of these emotions. “Am I part of all the loss you feel in the decisions that you make?”, can either feel regretful or aggravating depending on the section of the song it sits in.
Down Through is not something that you can wrap in a distinct genre, but it has its own blend that is both unique and familiar. Any rock fan can get immersed in its world and relate to the emotions that it depicts, making this a highly recommendable listen.