For San Diego band Glass Spells, their new album was made in true work-from-home fashion. Vocalist Tania Costello even laid down her tracks from her tiny walk-in closet.
Being unable to record in a studio could have been a pandemic downside or maybe even a total roadblock, but Costello said, it worked out.
"I recorded myself in my closet which was so weird, but also, I feel, because I didn't have anyone listening to me record it allowed me to be a lot more expressive and less shy about trying things. So I really experimented a lot with my voice in it, and different tones, and trying to get the true emotion of the songs out into the record," Costello said. "I wouldn't even let anyone in the house here — it was like you need to put headphones on, you need to go outside or something, because I don't want anyone to listen to me while I record."
Glass Spells was founded in 2014 by Anthony Ramirez from his hometown in Calexico, informed by his punk roots but also by a desire to combine that edge with electronic and synth music — though back in 2014 his music was grittier and more punk than today's Glass Spells sound.
Ramirez had played bass in other bands but spent some time learning the drum machine and synthesizers. He filled out the band with other people living in Calexico — in early incarnations Mallory Garcia, Mellany Martinez, Michael Rascon and Suz Gonzalez.
Eventually, the band broke up when Ramirez moved to San Diego, and the other band members were living in different cities.
However, Ramirez wasn't done with Glass Spells. Neither were the fans.
"When we weren't doing anything and the band members were like, Oh we can't do it anymore, we kept getting show offers. We kept getting like, 'Hey, can Glass Spells play here, can you play there?'" Ramirez said. "Just a bunch of shows, like a bunch of opportunities and we just couldn't ever play."
He reached out to Costello, who grew up in Escondido, to join the band in 2019, and they began writing new songs right away, releasing the "Mirrors" EP in June of 2020. They also added a live drummer, an essential part of the live performance energy.
Glass Spells' sound has evolved, and a significant part of that is Costello's influence as a lyricist.
In their new album, "Shattered," just out August 6th, it feels like they stuck the landing. It's lush, complex synth pop that doesn't compromise the bones of Ramirez's songwriting and artistic vision.
Still there: a danceable beat. Relatable loneliness. A sense of urgency and heartbreak. Crystalline, intoxicating vocals. And then something vampiric, like Glass Spells is hand-crafted to listen to at night.
Ramirez said he was inspired by the idea of horror and sci-fi soundtracks as well as that night drive essence — and even the moody high style of a fashion show.
"Musically, I mainly just wanted to deliver something catchy, something with emotion, something that makes you kind of want to listen to the music when you're driving at night," Ramirez said.
The creative heart of their songwriting also found an isolation-savvy, work-from-home groove. Ramirez would compose a song, then send it to Costello — often with a word or two to hint at what inspired him, but sometimes just a working title.
For the third track, the titular "Shattered," Ramirez named the file he sent to Costello "Shattered Romance," which ended up being a bridge in the song.
"I decided to make the bridge say 'leave your lust behind / shattered romance,' you know, like it's shattered. Don't go back to something that won't do you any good, that will end up hurting you in the end," Costello said.
Sonically, the track is infectious. It has a distinctly eighties sound, with distorted pitches, dreamy melodies and driving, fizzing beats.
In "No One To Trust," deeper into the album, there's a sadness and loneliness, almost betrayed by the brightness and boppiness of the tune. The upbeat stylings of Glass Spells make the sadness feel even more detached, and in that way, more tragic, like a pop hit from the Cure or Chromatics.
After a long pandemic year of no shows, Glass Spells will make a long-awaited return to local audiences this weekend, with an album release at Soda Bar.
"I feel like I need to keep playing for some reason. Like, if I'm not playing, I feel like I'm not doing something that I want to be doing," Ramirez said.
While Ramirez and Costello were able to thrive creatively during the pandemic shut down, performing is essential to them, as is sharing their music with audiences.
"I guess the whole point of me trying to make music is I want to make music that makes people feel something," Costello said. "I just want people to have that tune that they go to and they're like, this song gets me."
Learn more:
Find "Shattered" by Glass Spells on Bandcamp, Spotify or Apple Music.
Album release show at Soda Bar: Aug. 14, 2021.
Proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test is required to get into Soda Bar, and masks are required inside except while actively drinking. Learn more here.
