Looking Glass War ‘gaze with a panoramic drive on ‘I Can Tell By The Cars’
Boston glam post-punk quartet shift sonic gears with a captivating new single set for release on Friday, August 11
Looking Glass War’s incendiary debut EP set for release in late September
Photo Credit: Coleman Rogers Photography
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BOSTON, Mass. [August 11, 2023] -- Now that Looking Glass War have properly arrived, they’d like to take you for a ride.
The incendiary Boston band is set to deliver a captivating new single “I Can Tell By The Cars” to the streams on Friday, August 11. It’s the follow-up to last month’s fiery debut single “Arrive!”, and finds the quartet shifting gears from adrenalized post-punk and glam to a more panoramic shoegaze and dream-pop sound. “I Can Tell By The Cars,” much like the frenzied “Arrive!”, will be featured on Looking Glass War’s forthcoming debut EP, set for release in late September.
With just two songs – and counting – in their collective arsenal, Looking Glass War are already displaying a sonic complexity and breadth of sound seldom seen in newer bands. Together, each member – vocalist Goddamn Glenn, guitarist Pete Zeigler, Mancunian ex-pat bassist Mike Ackley, and drummer Tony Porter – are able to flex their adept musician muscle to offer a single that stands in stark contrast to their propulsive debut offering. If “Arrive!” kicked down the door to a residence and barged in with a calculated rage, “I Can Tell By The Cars” settles in and makes itself at home, telling stories around the fireplace.
“I think it shows a different side of us,” admits vocalist Goddamn Glenn. “When my wife first heard it, she said it’s going to be the ‘sad boy hit of the summer’ and that works for me. I hope she’s right [laughs].” Adds guitarist Pete Zeigler: “It goes deeper and builds. I love how the structure mirrors the tone of the narrator, with each verse getting shorter while the intensity continues to ramp. A slow burn to counter the face slap of ‘Arrive!’.”
Ackley says “I Can Tell By The Cars” started out as a purely shoegaze song, as Zeigler’s shimmery guitars set a mood before the track’s big, anthemic chorus crashes down. The two brought the bones of the song to Glenn and Porter, and it became the first track all four members played on together. Once Glenn’s lyrics and vocal melody began to take shape, the song grew into where it is today. It was produced by Brian Charles, with assistant engineer Adam Hand; recorded in Massachusetts at Mad Oak Studios in Allston and Rare Signals in Cambridge, MA; and mastered by Peter Linnane.
“There’s a few things going on in this one, but I’ll start by explaining the title,” notes Glenn. “‘I Can Tell By The Cars’ is a cynical summation of the state of the world as interpreted by surveying all the mean-spirited and toxic sentiments captured in bumper stickers attached to cars I see on the highway. Without getting overtly political, you can tell by some of the cars out there that the specter of extremism, bigotry and political violence is still very much alive and well. ‘We are in for a long slog, man…’ as the song goes.”
Glenn continues: “The other thing happening is very much an earnest effort to focus on love in a world that feels like it's driving right off a cliff. Ultimately, the persona in the song isn’t sure whether to keep fighting the good fight or to give up entirely. And that last bit of existential indecision is reflected in one of the lyrics I am personally most proud of, which is, ‘I’m just that Sisyphus, pushing up narcissuses.’”
Though they have the panache of a band that’s been around quite some time, Looking Glass War was first sparked by a spontaneous phone call in the boring and otherwise uninspired Fall 2022, where two creative sides with deep roots in the Boston music scene came together to make the music that stirred within. Its members quickly bonded over a shared love of glam, post-punk, modern rock, shoegaze, UK indie, and Britpop, as well as a familiarity from a distance of each other’s past work, which included bands like Parlour Bells, The Easy Reasons, The Rationales, and Strangeways.
The phone call that led to the formation of Looking Glass War was placed by Glenn, who had previously been working with Porter. Looking to start something new in a post-pandemic landscape, he reached out to guitarist Pete Zeigler, who, unbeknownst to Glenn, had already been working on new material with Ackley. The alchemy was already simmering.
“Glenn was asking if I was interested in starting something new,” Zeigler adds. “I said, ‘Yes, absolutely’ and he asked if I knew any bassists. Just so happened that Mike and I already had some songs in the works, and were excited about melding them with Glenn and Tony. From the first session, we all knew this was something special and once we all started writing new material together, ironing out our system, it really gelled… I decided to throw away my whole playing style [from prior bands] and start fresh and find a group of true equal partners. This is that for me. Making the art I truly love with great friends and hopefully giving people a soundtrack that is both familiar and new at the same time.”
Ackley agrees: “We really clicked, and were very much coming from the same place musically – based mainly on that ‘80s British post-punk vibe with driving bass and angular guitars. We started writing but despite some ‘interesting’ encounters, really struggled to find a singer that was coming from the same musical place as us and could really bring the tunes to life. Things were getting pretty frustrating, then, as Pete said – he got the call from Glenn out of the blue and Looking Glass War was born.”
Now the band is getting noticed, from the online and independent press and radio scene in their hometown of Boston to global airplay that includes spins in Europe, Australia, and on SiriusXM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage. If “Arrive!” was the attention-grabber, “I Can Tell By The Cars” is the attention-keeper, showcasing the band’s depth, attention to detail, and proclivity for a massive, theatrical sound that grabs hold and never lets go.
By the time the full EP arrives in the fall, a larger picture will emerge of a band that’s making the music they want to make, based solely on the type of music they want to hear.
“As always, I want the audience to be moved,” Glenn admits. “I hope they can connect or identify with a lyric they hear. It’s a beautiful thing when a riff, melody, or a few words can give shape to something abstract someone feels, but can’t easily explain themselves.” Zeigler agrees, concluding: “I’d like for this band to take listeners to that safe and happy place in their heads, perhaps reminding them of a time when they felt limitless.”
Like the unwavering road ahead.
Media Contact: Please direct press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@knyvet.com,
and reach Looking Glass War directly at lookingglasswarmusic@gmail.com.
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Looking Glass War:
Mike Ackley: Bass
Goddamn Glenn: Vocals
Tony Porter: Drums
Pete Zeigler: Guitar
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‘I Can Tell By The Cars’ single artwork:
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‘I Can Tell By The Cars’ production credits:
Produced by Brian Charles
Adam Hand: Assistant Engineer
Recorded at Mad Oak Studios in Allston, MA, and Rare Signals in Cambridge, MA in Spring 2023
Mastered by Peter Linnane
Promotional photography by Coleman Rogers
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Looking Glass War artist bio:
In the Fall of 2022, Goddamn Glenn and Tony Porter (both of Parlour Bells) came together with fellow Boston scene veterans Pete Zeigler (The Easy Reasons, The Rationales) and Mike Ackley (Strangeways) to see what would happen when this group of seasoned indie musicians made noise together. Each needed it as much as the others.
The spark was immediate. A new post-punk-meets-glam sound emerged, melding Glenn’s theatrical vocals with Pete’s shimmering and sputtering post-punk guitar, all driven by Mike’s propulsive UK bass lines and Tony’s precise beats.
They called it Looking Glass War.
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Early media praise for Looking Glass War:
The music of Looking Glass War can be heard on Banks Radio Australia, Boston Emissions, BumbleBee Radio, Christian’s Cosmic Corner on Mark Skin Radio, Click Roll Boom, Code Zero Radio, Elastic Glam Radio on WKKL, Everything You Know Is Wrong on Salem State WMWM, Laura Beth’s Mixtape Show on Reclaimed Radio UK, Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM, Marc’s Alt Rock Playground on Mark Skin Radio, Moosic Entertainment, Original Music Showcase on Mark Skin Radio, Pod Duck, Rising with Skybar on WMFO, Rock And Roll Fables, The Retweeter’s Show on ZenoFM, The Whole Kameese, Turn Up The Volume, UncertainFM, What’s The Frequency on Kinetic 7 Radio, Your First Listen on Eardrum Buzz and KNNZ, and other fine shows, stations, and platforms…
“Proper cool.” _Laura Beth’s Mixtape Show
“Excellent” _The Alternative Frequences Rock Show
“This new Boston band hit bullseye right away with their debut single. ‘Arrive!’ is a bang-on belter spiced with towering vocals. Score!” _Turn Up The Volume
“‘Arrive!’ might just be the perfect introduction to Looking Glass War. It starts off with a burst of fuzzed out, feedback drenched guitar, and then kicks into a post-punk beat. By the time singer Goddamn Glenn starts up with his theatrical vocals, you’ll know if you’re in love with a new band or not, and you probably will be. ‘Arrive!’ has the kind of intensity usually reserved for teenagers just starting out, but Looking Glass War have that with decades of chops at their service.” _If It’s Too Loud
“What Looking Glass Was has conjured into this three and a half minute blast of infectious music is some of the very best Post-Rawk in recent years. The guitars from Pete Zeigler immediately hearken back to the late ’70’s/early ’80’s birth of that aforementioned genre while the rousing rotund rhythmic synchronicity from drummer Tony Porter and bassist Mike Ackley easily brings early Killing Joke or U2 to mind. Add the sultry commanding croon from Goddamn Glenn on top of it all and it’s like the cherry on top of a delicious modern Post-Rawk sundae!” _Rock And Roll Fables
“I don’t know about anyone else, but when we hear a really good song for the first time, [we] instantly remember where [we] were. That’s exactly what we feel when we listen to ‘Arrive!’... It’s that good, it’s special. The opening riff acts like a doorman saying “Come on in, you’re in the right place – You have arrived!’ Then the vocals kick in and it’s pure freaking magic. Goddamn Glenn sounds like your favorite singer from days gone by but a million times better.” _The Whole Kameese
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Press Contact: michael@knyvet.com
Artist Contact: lookingglasswarmusic@gmail.com
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