A dark and stylish synth-pop success, Crystals is the new album from the San Diego-based duo Glass Spells. Tania Costello’s riveting vocals pair with Anthony Ramirez’s atmospheric instrumentation to create a consuming sound, aesthetically reminiscent of Chromatics. Dreamy soundscapes and bursting hooks emanate throughout the album’s eight tracks, exuding a late-night, introspective enthrallment. The eight-song release represents Glass Spells’ first full-length in three years and will be supported by a tour with Cannons in October.
The album’s lead single and opening track, “Without You,” builds with enjoyable momentum. Clanging bass and panting kick drums drive into Costello’s lush vocal presence, emerging with a hazy, synth-laden mystique. “Love me ’til the world collides,” Costello lets out during the fantastic chorus. “Hold me ’til I touch the sky.” The project dazzles with a range of dreamy verses and satiating hooks throughout, and “Without You” is certainly exemplary of this. The single is accompanied by a music video that captures its stylish, nocturnal soundscape in visual form.
“Venom” follows with a darker intrigue, propelled by a rhythmic, synth-based pulse with post-punk shades. “I’ll make you mine,” the vocals tempt, constructing a hypnotic engrossment with static-y synths, wispy background prancing, and steady vocal composure. The suave, post-punk rhythmic inclinations continue on “Glow,” featuring aptly illuminated synth tones and culminating in an excitable vocal effect just before the three-minute mark. While “Without You” traverses into hook-friendly immediacy, “Venom” and “Glow” proceed with a more atmosphere-minded captivation. Glass Spells show both an ability for melodic immediacy and soundscape-linked immersion throughout Crystals.
“Run back to me,” Costello yearns on “Before Dawn,” where pulsing synth fervency meshes with debonair vocal confidence, evoking an ’80s Lynchian enigma. There’s a cinematic sense to the “goodbye” repetition and reflective vocal layering as the track comes to a close. The album’s title track follows, kickstarting an equally impressive second half that embraces radiant synth-pop. “Crystals” reflects on “when you were mine,” as vibrant synth lines meld with a consistent rhythmic accompaniment, unraveling beautifully as one of the album’s brighter tonal productions. The subsequent “Consequences” is similarly glistening, particularly in the “see the lights” marveling during the arpeggiated rise.
A vibrant synth-pop element continues on “Hechizos,” where Spanish-language vocals and effervescent synths glide with seamless immersion. The bouncy bass and bright synths pair with serene vocals for a sound reminiscent of Magdalena Bay, both here and on the stellar closer “Haunting.” Crystals is an addictive, strongly memorable album from Glass Spells, artfully balancing synth-pop brightness with moody, nocturnal post-punk ruminations.
