many of Glambat’s first recordings were lo-fi demos, recorded at home. if you check out their bandcamp page, you can find some of those original recordings — little in-the-moment takes by Emily Rose Alderman. those songs were fleshed out and recorded professionally for I Feel God In This Chili’s Tonight. and one of the things that i love about that split ep is just how much bigger Glambat sounds in those songs. and yet, i’d be lying if i told you i didn’t miss the scaled-back, intimate approach of their demos.
late saturday night, Glambat released “Champ”, a song recorded as a voice memo on an iphone. give it a listen: you can hear Emily’s soft voice, her acoustic guitar, and the sound of insects chirping outside in the night. it’s a minimalist take on Glambat’s normal sound, but it’s incredibly effective. the ambient noises and the slight string squeaks give you the feeling that you are in the room with Alderman as she spills her guts. and just to be clear: i mean spill her guts in an emotional way, not in a gory way, which would probably sound horrific on the voice memo app. by stripping away a lot of the production we may have gotten used to, we’re reminded of Glambat’s strengths: natural melodies and beautiful, striking lyrics. i’m constantly impressed by Alderman’s wordsmithing, as very specific and personal images take on a political implication (especially in “Brasil” and “Cole Gate”). in “Champ”, those politics are transmuted into a shifting relationship between lovers.
when “Champ” was announced, it was proposed as the first entry in an audio journal, with more apparently on the way. what i’d recommend doing is heading over the Glambat’s bandcamp page and hitting “Follow” so that you’ll get updates as these songs / entries are uploaded.
