Glitter Etiquette – CERULEAN, DEEP BLUE
Glitter Etiquette (GE) dives deep into synth-forward indietronica bliss on their latest release, CERULEAN, DEEP BLUE. Highly conceptual, the album dives deep into highbrow ideas about socioeconomic and cultural archetypes… And while we’re usually pretty good at parsing out the meaning behind lyrics, in these instances, it’s usually better to hear a snippet from the band’s own words – see below:
“The album contrasts the tranquil, expansive hue of blue (cerulean) with the ominous force of darkness thru the metaphoric red army, portraying a cosmic battle between clarity, empathy, and depth versus aggression, ego, and decay. These colors become metaphors for clashing worldviews: blue as the fading ideal of unity and imagination, with the antithesis showing the toxic acceleration of greed, polarization, and control. Through its swirling textures and lyrical critiques, Cerulean warns of the rise of socioeconomic and cultural archetypes—techno-feudal overlords and their machine counterparts, influencer-worship, manufactured identity—that disconnect us from nature, each other, and the possibility of a livable future.”
The album kicks off with “Cows,” a sunny blast of melody that’s perfect for introducing new listeners to Glitter Etiquette. Immediately, it’s apparent that the synth is GE’s weapon of choice – giant, squelchy bass-heavy synths provide a backbone for glittery (pun intended) synth leads, guitar plucking, and super-catchy vocals. They switch things up on song two, “Blue Plastic,” which settles down into an ethereal groove – vocals are off in space, padded thick with glimmering organ tones, squiggly guitar lines, and drums layered lush with reverb. They play with this understated mood across the album, most notably, on the fever-dream of “Morning Pretty Eyes,” with it’s glassy-eyed vocal delivery. The melodies here lay like a feather overtop the song’s snare-driven drumbeat, the only tangible aspect rooting this airy song to earth. “Cherry Blossom” is another album highlight (and our runner up for album favorite). This is GE at their indie-est, trading synths for sighing guitar theatrics and a truly understated (and underrated) mood.
By song three, “Possession,” GE start flexing a bit – there are lots of moods, textures, and vibes to be found throughout CERULEAN, DEEP BLUE, and in this instance, they dip into menacing territory. Led by a fuzzed-out bassline, “Possession” blasts in with a haunting synth melody, reminiscent of a terrifying alien invasion or an ’80s horror soundtrack… The throat-shredding screams are a nice touch. Throughout the rest of the album, you’ll find a lot more sonic exploration, crossing genres and moods with the underlying synth spine keeping CERULEAN, DEEP BLUE feeling cohesive. “Be Fine” explores ’60s-era sounds, with a swirling guitar phaser evoking psychedelic vibes – you can also hear this a bit on trippy album closer “Burning Planet.”
There’s a lot to take in on CERULEAN, DEEP BLUE, but our nod for album favorite goes to song eight, “Propaganda.” Playing with an almost industrial grind, “Propaganda” has an absolutely ruthless rhythm to it. Bouncing bass provides the engine for rapid-fire, fuzzed-out vocals to roar openly. Like the rest of the album, GE keeps you guessing – just when you think “Propaganda” is going to launch into a menacing chorus, they blast into one of the catchiest moments on the album. We love that it kept us on our feet, so if you’re going to start anywhere, start here.
CERULEAN, DEEP BLUE is out now (May 28th, 2025) – you can preview below via Soundcloud, or, check it out on Spotify.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna