- Bryon Harris
Glass House Point - 'Love Lives In Dark Places'
Glass House Point are a 4-piece indie/alt rock band that is sure to leave a fantastic first impression. The band members are: Dylan Graham, Ian Campbell, Dylan Methot and Jansen Valkon. Their unique and universally appealing sound comes from a variety of influences including Local Natives, Ben Howard, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Cold Play. In 2016, Glass House Point released their debut EP 'Love Lives in Dark Places' offering up an EP with an alternative, folk-rock edge that has song after song of hit indie material.
The EP opens with a track titled "Intro" which is an instrumental introduction to the band's sound. It creates a nice foundation to the start of the EP. The intro runs a bit over a minute long and does well to familiarize listeners with the one-of-a-kind sound that Glass House Point pulls off. The intro starts off subtle with delicate instrumentation, weaving and echoing each other, but soon builds for a fuller rock sound.
The instrumental introdcution moves seamlessly into the next song, the title track “Love Lives in Dark Places”. Starting off with a catchy solo guitar lick and slowly building up until the whole band comes in, this upbeat song is sure to be one you will remember. There is some nice violin work by Noah Feldman that compliments the song. After a brief intro, the song breaks into the first verse. Glass House Point shows that they know how to write a solid verse and change dynamics so their memorable choruses really stand out. Dylan Graham has the perfect vocal quality for this genre; his vocal tone is indie-outstanding and ever-so easy on the ear. He has sound that is radio-ready as does the band.
The song "Hungry Eyes" is a mid-tempo song with great rhythm guitar and drum work; Glass House Point has an energetic appeal while being able to capture a wide range of emotions. This song, once again, shows that Glass House Point can really right a good hook, "My Hungry Eyes wait for you." Hungry Eyes is currently spinning on Indie-Spoonful radio. “Luna” is up next and it receives very high marks. “Luna” is a softer more acoustic track by Glass House Point that exposes the raw talent of the band. The pairing of the acoustic guitar and strings met with the emotion of the vocals make for a beautiful track. Luna displays nice scale-wise riff work that shines brilliantly as an example of Glass House Point's advanced musicianship; this band has composition elements and detail that you don't find everyday. Check out this video of an upcoming song called "Washed Out."
“Heaven” is another win for Glass House Point. As in all their songs, Glass House Point shows a great aptitude for every aspect of songwriting. And it is without a doubt that the band composes stellar lyrics that are interesting and capture a mood or feeling in a deeply poetic way. "Black is the sea as the water sings to the creatures beneath my feet. Bright is the sun as the light stings my sweat drenched wings. I’ve been searching for heaven and I’m getting closer, getting closer by your side." Wrapping up the EP, Glass House Point sends us on our way with “On and On”. Beginning with a solo acoustic guitar riff, that varies throughout the song, leading us directly into the first verse, this song captivates from the start. The guitar motif loops throughout the track while other members of the band come in slowing building up until the climax. The lyrics are poetic, "Just watch time pass us by...It goes on and on and on an on.“ There is a simplicity to the song that comes off as haunting.
Glass House Point is a band that has everything to make it big. In summary, they write great songs that are memorable; their vocalist, Dylan, is a great front man with just the right indie tone and emotion; the instrumentalists know how to pay attention to detail and give each song its own flavor with cool riffs and motifs; and the lyrics are poetic and never dull. What more could you ask for! Glass House Point will be working on their second EP in 2017 and will be on a Southeastern U.S. tour in March. For more information on Glass House Point check out their website.