Closer – Glimpses

The alternative rock scene has been thriving in the past couple of years, with many excellent bands delivering high-quality music to the table. However, if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that many of those artists and bands are overly exploiting their influences, mimicking their favorite music outlets, or tirelessly trying to reinvent the same old wheel, invented by the greats many decades ago. Thankfully, there are bands like Closer who are continuously delivering fresh, innovative, one-of-a-kind musical experiences with each new release. “Glimpses,” their brand-new release, serves as more than a rock-solid proof of how alternative rock can still sound unique, catchy, and memorable. With eleven marvelous compositions, they break all the rules, shapeshift the boundaries, and showcase how alternative rock should sound in 2025. They entirely avoid all the cliches by crafting memorable, easy-listening yet unpredictable tracks, packed with raw, unfiltered emotion. Lyrically, “Glimpses” explores various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, so it’s a highly relatable material that will immediately resonate with the broader audience. Sonically, it’s one of those records that goes beyond a singular music genre. Closer definitely use various approaches, different techniques, and many complementary music styles to illustrate such a perfect sonic imagery. Throughout the entire album, they blend innovation, experimentation, and signature moves with all subtly nostalgic maneuvers, borrowed from the late eighties, nineties, and early noughties alternative, indie rock, emo, grunge, and melodic punk rock music. Still, the band remains loyal to the primary sonic direction, grounded in contemporary sound. They undoubtedly know how to deliver a fascinating composition that immediately tackles all the senses and forces you to repeat the entire material all over again. The best part about the “Glimpses” is that with each new listen, it sounds even more detailed and powerful. Albums like these are considered a rarity nowadays, but it seems like Closer wrote, composed, arranged, recorded, and produced this impressive amalgam with such ease. Therefore, it will immediately become one of your favorite alternative rock albums that you’ll gladly place at the top of your collection.

As soon as you press play, you’ll notice that “Glimpses” is packed with so many excellent songs that immediately penetrate your listening apparatus and refuse to let go long after the last notes and beats end. It’s one of those comprehensive collections that demands repeated listening sessions, mainly because Closer stacked so many marvelous vocal harmonies, lush guitar works, intricate basslines, and excellent rhythmic patterns in every song. Beneath all those obvious instrumentations, there are subtle elements, accentuations, decorations, nuances, hidden gems, and other details that make this album even more appealing to the ears. With each listen, you’ll discover some new details that will convince you even more to place this alternative rock masterpiece among your favorite albums. This epic sonic journey begins with “Luck,” a stripped-down overture that gradually prepares you for “Int’u,” a magnificent alternative rock composition that immediately transports you to the beginning of the millennium, when this version of such long-loved music genres reigned supreme and occupied radio stations. The gritty riffs act as a perfect backdrop for cleverly stacked vocal layers, while equally impressive basslines offer more power and detail. In the meantime, the drummer keeps everything in line with his cleverly assembled, well-accentuated, flawlessly performed rhythmic patterns. “Where We’re At” begins with late-nineties Midwestern emo orchestrations, but gradually leans towards a fine blend of classic alternative and old-school pop punk. “KSTID” introduces a slightly faster drumming performance, empowered by an impressive interplay between guitars and bass. It’s one of those tracks that immediately forces you to dance, thanks to its wild energy and hypnotic ambiance. “Wrap Your Head” successfully blends all those fundamental qualities of emo music with indie rock aesthetics. It’s one of the standout tracks thanks to beautiful vocal harmonies and unfiltered, crunchy chord progressions. “Story Anthem” brings more energetic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics to the table while the intricate basslines deliver warmth, heaviness, clarity, and depth. The rhythm section plays a significant role in this track by providing immense support to the lush themes, melodies, harmonies, and riffs delivered on heavily distorted guitars. “Blanket Of Stars” is a cinematic piece that demonstrates the versatility of the band. The band showcases that they’re capable of writing and composing moderate songs that rely much more on the ambiance than unfiltered, raw energy. Closer get back to the aggressive, gritty sound with “Northern Exposure,” a grungy alternative rock composition that once again showcases why their music stands out from anything you could hear on the contemporary music scene. It’s packed with melody and rawness, calmness and aggression, moderate rhythmic patterns and robust beats. “Laughter” brings another stripped-down indie ballad that gradually expands into a more complex piece. It serves as a perfect transition into “22-7” and “Progress, In Chrome,” two tracks that balance calmness and aggression with such precision and finesse. These two compositions also serve as a closure of such a perfect alternative rock album.

It’s nearly impossible to think of the Scottish music scene without mentioning Closer, and this album definitely positions them not only at the top of the local but also international music scene. With its diversity, innovation, and uniqueness, “Glimpses” stands out from anything you could hear on the contemporary alternative rock scene nowadays. It carries so many signature moves, impressive orchestrations, and beautiful vocal harmonies that you’ll gladly spin this gem over and over again. “Glimpses” is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!