A fantastic new EP from GLVES, Belonging showcases a luminous alt-pop sound that spans from bursting electronic passion to climactic introspection. A proud First Nations artist, GLVES describes the process of producing the EP as an act of healing. “Through this EP, I’ve come to see that softness is its own strength, and that to bloom, even when you’ve known darkness, is a kind of power,” she says, overcoming a long-term rejection of that “softness.”
A magnetic, atmospheric pop sound shines on the opening “Time.” Gentle rhythmic pit-pattering and flourishes of bright synths evolve into a sporadic vocal feeling, reflecting a push-and-pull within a relationship into a “how can I make you see, we don’t have to be lonely” yearning. A dreamy vocal refrain depicts heartbreak in its ruminations on “time” and “feeling like you were mine,” continues to maneuver thereafter with hooky emotiveness. A soulful, electronic-touched production kicks off this EP in riveting form.
The ensuing “Honesty” presents a more vulnerable, late-night intrigue initially — the melancholic vocals asking “why don’t you ever let me in?” amidst hazy synth swells. The uptick in rhythmic and vocal passion envelops thereafter. “You need some honesty,” she lets out there, dazzling with infectious vigor; the alternations between subdued build-ups and hooky catharsis resonate throughout. Then arrives the ghostly haunts of “Lost,” where sounds of a clock and solemn piano evolve into a moving pop confessional.
EP finale “Echo” feels like a coming-to-terms tumult, comparing it to a “landslide” as layers of emotions build and collapse. String-laden additions prove especially enthralling into the ardent “always calling like an echo” culmination. Filled with replay-inducing pop successes, Belonging is a standout EP from GLVES.
