Quiet Pleasures, the new EP from Phoenix-based rockers Glixen, delivers a haunting and intense experience through five tracks; as lead vocalist Aislinn Ritchie describes it, the EP explores “change, desire, devotion, sensuality and lovingness.

The lyrics of the first four songs, with the last lacking any words/singing, are heartfelt and oftentimes vulnerable. The loud guitars and drums that continue to reverberate in your ear long after being played provide a safe space as they can be used to distract from the sentimentality or openness of the writing. Lines such as “Nothing else exists when I’m with you,” (‘all tied up’) and “Was it always like this? A kiss leaves me restless,” (‘lick the star’) showcase the loving emotion that might not have been readily apparent due to the instruments that take the forefront.

The guitars and drums take the forefront because the atmosphere and mood of each track are prioritised for the project. There’s a beautiful balance between fuzzy and gritty guitars and the smooth sweetness of the vocals that allows the dreamy, almost floating, feeling of the shoegaze genre to emerge. They both evolve the sound while also consistently paying homage to it, echoing Deftones or My Bloody Valentine.

Guitarist Esteban Santana and bassist Sonia García deliver most of the intense sonic punches, creating a storm of sound that completely engulfs the listener. However, with Keire Johnson’s drumming, the songs remain tethered to the ground, notably heard on ‘avoid’ where the drums crash and shine on the track, not letting the other instruments run away or get ahead of themselves.

The guitar riffs on ‘still silent’ remain as fuzzy and heavy as before but there’s also a sweetness to them, making them sound more melodic and setting the track out due to this extra depth. Some of the best songwriting is heard on ‘lick the star’ though, with an eerie start that instantly sets the tone. It’s extremely atmospheric and the vocals feel ghostly, almost distant. This helps to create a gothic mood until the guitars make their grand entrance, thundering in chaotically while the vocals continue to yearn.

With the closer being purely instrumental, it serves as a demonstration of their talent and evolution. With intricate, thought-out riffs and guitar fills, they effortlessly create atmosphere and evoke mood. The intensity gradually increases with the listener feeling a pressure mounting that creates a sense of claustrophobia until the song finishes on a high with all the instruments ringing out.

Glixen’s EP quiet pleasures is a fully realised project about desire and the intense heartache of yearning. With a wall of sound that is created by their instrumentation, specifically with the overdriven and fuzzy guitars, the group are able to evoke these feelings with ease and are able to balance melancholy with hope and promise.

order Quiet Pleasures by Glixen HERE