It’s Raining On The Wrong Side of the Window is the newest release from London-based indie-rockers Glass Peaks. It’s a somewhat interesting and polished record that showcases the bands talent but never goes far enough to stand out from the crowd.
The opening track, creatively titled ‘Intro‘ attempts to set the stage with sweeping soundscapes, dial-up modem sound effects and the click-clack of a keyboard that all builds to a crescendo that abruptly fizzles out into the next song with no payoff. Unfortunately, it adds nothing to the overall record and the project would have benefited by leaving this on the cutting room floor.
The first real track of the record is ‘São Paulo‘, a brooding number with a strong main vocal and an interesting vocal arrangement that sounds like old-school 30 Seconds To Mars. The track starts with a lot of momentum but that doesn’t leave it much space to grow or change and the track suffers as a result. The best moments in this song are where they pull back for a short reprieve and let the softer vocal take centre stage.
The next track is an interlude, less than a minute long. A repetitive synth sound taps over and over – it leaves no impact on the listener but flows nicely into the next track ‘London Is Concrete‘. Arguably the strongest track on the record, it’s a stripped-back venture with beautiful soft vocals and a vocoder effect very reminiscent of The 1975. It glides softly from section to section, a cold snapshot of London draped in nostalgia and sadness. It sounds like returning home after a long time to find it has changed for the worse. It’s dreamlike and serene but there’s a hint of darkness hiding behind this reverie.
‘Never Really Left’ is the penultimate track on the EP, an upbeat soft-rock song with an anthemic vibe that ticks all the boxes for a song in this genre, but ticking the boxes doesn’t make it interesting. As with the first track on the EP, it starts with a lot of energy and doesn’t let up until the last section, making it an exhausting listen with no peaks and valleys for us to appreciate what is on offer. The production sounds expensive and the mix is clear, there’s a lot of quality on show here but the composition is lacking. It’s loud for the sake of being loud and it could have been released by any rock band in the last 10 years – it lacks identity.
Another interlude follows, it’s a barely audible piece that sounds like someone recorded it from the phone in their pocket.
The final track on the EP is ‘It’s Raining On The Wrong Side of the Window‘ – a heartfelt, acoustic track that is tinged with sadness and grows into a mournful dirge that wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack to a Silent Hill game. A mandolin rings in the background and a choir sings beneath the lead vocal, it highlights the sorrow on display here in a stunning way.
It’s a beautiful closer to an EP that was overstuffed with unnecessary interludes and a diluted identity. A perfect showcase that Glass Peaks are at their best when they strip everything back and allow their story to be explored at a gentle pace. The concept that was on show here was interesting, but the execution was not.
It’s Raining On The Wrong Side of the Window is out now.
