Glades have always known how to deliver slinky pop with pulsating synths and groovy guitar riffs that will have you ready to sweat it out on the dance floor. Their debut album ‘To Love You’ was a bold and impressive introductory affair the exuded a lot of confidence in who they wanted to be as a band. But with three years in-between records I think its safe to say their sophomore record ‘Planetarium’ overwrites that and shows a distinct growth in confidence, hook writing, and expression of vulnerability.
This is a record that is truly designed to be listened from start to finish. The electric production of the first 3/4 of the album is a back-to-back collision of ear worm hooks that will have you screaming back the lyrics so loudly in the safety of your car or bedroom while you wait to experience it live. And then the last few tracks of the album shows a maturity in the unravelling of their vulnerability. From the tender title track that lead vocalist Karina Savage walked down the aisle to, to the dreamy ‘Living In Blue’ which hears keyboardist Joey Wenceslao singing for the first time.
I recently chatted to lead vocalist Karina Savage from Glades about the lyrical maturity behind their sophomore album ‘Planetarium’, the creative process behind ‘Apollo 11’, ‘Enemy’, ‘Crush’ and ‘Living In Blue’ and discussed what song they are most excited to eventually bring to the live stage. Check it out BELOW;
THOMAS BLEACH: Your sophomore album ‘Planetarium’ is out now and it is a vulnerable and cohesive collection of tracks that feels like a matured step-up from your debut album ‘To Love You’. What is the biggest takeaway you’d like listeners to have when they walk away from listening to this album from start to finish?
KARINA SAVAGE: Aw thank you, that’s so sweet! I think I’d mostly want people to feel empowered to love themselves and feel confident in who they are and what they deserve.
TB: The album opens with ‘Apollo 11’ which is this very atmospheric instrumental intro that welcomes you into the world of ‘Planetarium’. Why was having an intro for this album something that aesthetically felt important to you as a band?
KS: We wanted to draw our listeners into the world of planetarium and create a soundscape to give context to the rest of the album. The second track off the album ‘Dancing in the Mirror’ which is one of my favourites, has quite an abrupt introduction. I love the strength to that song and we knew we wanted It to be the first words the listener hears, but we wanted to prepare the listener so they could fully appreciate that song.
We also love to keep in mind our live shows when we create an album and how It would feel to hear the album in its entirety in the room. We really hope we can bring bring It to life soon!
TB: ’Enemy’ is a catchy track about not wanting to make an enemy out of someone you truly care about because of a misunderstanding. So can you explain the creative process behind this track?
KS: That song started out like most of our songs do. We began by laying down some chords with our co-writer Isom Innis. Then we sang melodies over those chords until we found something we liked. We wrote the lyrics by using similarities in our past experiences. The feeling of having so much frustration in the midst of an argument but knowing that the other person is more important than being right in that moment. And that’s how we wrote ‘Enemy’!
TB: Now ‘Crush’ is an absolute anthem, and the production is very reminiscent of Charlie Puth’s ‘Attention’ and Dua Lipa’s ‘Break My Heart’. So what were you actually referencing or inspired by in the studio when working on this song?
KS: Its funny because we actually wrote ‘Crush’ almost a year before Dua Lipa’s song ‘Break My Heart’ was released so I guess great minds think alike *laughs*. We definitely had Charlie Puth’s ‘Attention’ in mind, but we were also inspired by Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust’.
TB: The last four songs on the album have a lighter approach to their production and melodies compared to the high energy prominent on the rest of the album. Was it intentional to put them all at the end and let them have their own moment or reflection?
KS: Some of the storylines of our songs flowed naturally into each other which helped with the track listing. We wanted the album to take the listener on an emotional journey. We felt like placing those songs at the end rounded out the experience, and the listener can with their emotions and feel the full impact.
TB: ’Living in Blue’ hears Joey singing on the track alongside you for the first ever time. Was this an organic thing to occur, or was there a lot of anxiety behind the scenes for Joey to feel comfortable to step into the spotlight in this way?
KS: This song was based around Joeys personal experiences. The song was even written completely from his perspective. The writing process started out as a venting session while eating pizza at midnight *laughs*. It really felt right that the first time Joey would sing would be to a song so personal to him. There was some anxiety behind the scenes because of the lyrics themselves but I love this song so much and Im so proud of him. He has such a beautiful voice and I’m so glad people are finally able to hear It.
TB: On Instagram you spilt some tea and said that this album was the first time you wrote a song and someone stopped speaking to you because of it. So can we spill the tea a little more and find out what song it was?
KS: Oooo I don’t want to get in trouble *laughs*, because me and this person are all good now but all I’ll say is that it was from the song ‘Get in the Way’.
TB: You named the record after the track ‘Planetarium’, so what was it about that song that felt like it truly represented this record and the past 2 years for you as a band?
KS: ‘Planetarium’ was the first song we ever wrote for this album. We didn’t have a particular sound or direction yet, I’d just told Cam and Joey how much I wanted to write the song I would walk down the aisle to. A few hours later we had written ‘Planetarium’ together and I knew this was something really special.
The lyrics for ‘Planetarium’ had come from such a personal place and really set the tone for how we would continue writing the rest of the album. It felt like such a shift especially in our maturity of writing. I think the difference in the past 2 years is that we’ve had so many new experiences and now we understand a little better how to translate those experiences into our lyrics.
TB: Looking back on the creative process behind your debut album, what was the biggest thing you learnt about yourself as a band through writing, recording, releasing and touring that album that played a big role creatively in ‘Planetarium’ and the direction you wanted to head in?
KS: I think the biggest thing we learned is that we can trust each other with the more vulnerable side of the lyrics process and It actually makes for better music. Releasing music with personal lyrics is actually less scary that we thought It would be *laughs*.
TB: What song from the album are you most excited to eventually play live? Because I feel like ‘Get In The Way’ and ‘Blonde’ are going to be a lot of fun!
KS: We actually wrote ‘Get In The Way’ with live shows in mind. We walked in to the studio that morning and decided we wanted to write a song that had enough energy that people would want to jump to it at our live shows. I think you can hear that in the chorus, and especially the beat in the post. We even tested out the BPM by jumping around the room once we finished writing *laughs*.
TB: Lets play a quick game of rapid fire questions. You ready?
KS: Yes, ready!
TB: The emoji that best describes our new album ‘Planetarium’ is…
KS: The planet emoji!
TB: A strange hobby/obsession I’ve picked up in the last year has been…
KS: Nail art *laughs*.
TB: The colour of my toothbrush at the moment is…
KS: White and purple!
TB: If I could have any superpower it would be to…
KS: I’m obsessed with any movie that has time travel, so I guess time travel!
TB: Pineapple on pizza is…
KS: A bold choice but not unforgivable.
‘Planetarium’ is out now!