GLASSING – Texan power-trio unleash new album ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’

Genre-defiant heavy stalwarts Glassing have released their fourth full-length album, ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’ through Berlin’s Pelagic Records.

Born of Austin’s underground musical melting pot in 2017; Glassing erupted onto the scene in a hail of harrowing blast beats, searing angular feedback and frontman/bassist Dustin Coffman’s sandpaper screams that set out to redefine the idea of heavy music to better reflect increasingly heavy times. 

The band have since overcome every grisly obstacle thrown their way, sharpening their teeth over eight relentless years of touring and drinking in the wisdom earned off the back of their inimitable palette of post-hardcore, black metal and spiralling shoegaze. 2022, however, is when Glassing set the scene for what is to come. The introduction of formidable drummer Scott Osment (Deaf Club, Planet B) bolstered Coffman’s gut-punching basslines and inimitable howl and provided the perfect foil for guitarist Cory Brim’s razor-sharp playing style.

More discordant, more distorted and somehow even angrier than before; on ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’, Glassing prove that desperate times call for decisive measures. Recorded across two years of intense fits and starts, affectionately nicknamed “Hell Weeks” by the band, ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’ is a metaphysical foray into the fractured impressions of ourselves that exist only in the minds of others, piercing the veil between our fragile sense of self and the indelible impressions that we leave behind us.

Working again with producer Andrew Hernandez, who the band liken to a fourth member at this point, the band powered through any previous physical and creative thresholds and, as their first full-length release with Osment and their first release on Pelagic Records, ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’ became an opportunity for a new beginning. As Coffman tells us, “This allowed us to forgo a lot of the convention and structure we’ve relied on in the past, the substitution was for raw expression. Kindred to the emotions that birthed it, this record is spirited, painful and unmethodical.”

 ‘Wake’, the 10th and final track from ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’, epitomises this new philosophy. Balanced on the sharp edge between blackened metal fury and the euphoric discord of post-rock; sparkling guitar refrains soar above pounding drums and impassioned, guttural howls. A closing chapter as uplifting as it is an onslaught, ‘Wake’ is about surviving day to day, capturing the fleeting moments when the storm subsides; leaving everything as it was but also different, forever changed.

Throughout ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror’, Glassing invite us inside to take a hard and heavy look at ourselves from an uncompromising and often unsettling perspective. It’s the convergence of self-destructive introspection and the unwelcome truth that no one will ever reveal how they really see you or, as Coffman puts it, “You might catch your reflection from time to time, but you’ll never know who put it there, them or you.” 

Cory Brim on ‘From the Other Side of the Mirror ’:

“FTOSOTM was a journey to create for us. It’s a record that captured all those moments of being so stoked just making music with your friends but also the work it takes to make something ambitious. It’s a total reflection of the crew that made it. The time we spent in the studio with Andrew Hernandez was easily the best part of making the album. He’s such a talented and patient person and I’ll always fondly remember the countless days spent tracking, mixing, eating Thundercloud and making this record together. Hearing the songs come alive for the first time is always so rewarding and we’re really excited to share it with everyone who can appreciate what we’re doing.” 

Dustin Coffman on ‘Wake’:

“Wake describes the undercurrents of depression and how they flow throughout everything we do. This song describes short intervals of peace where you might not remember something immediately. Waking in a tranquil state before you have a chance to remember what’s wrong.”