Portland sludge-gazers High Glow recently released this quick ripper of a listen on September 4th. At just under 15 minutes, this EP blasts through four songs with infectious intensity and grit. The production on this EP remains a bit more raw, which hinders some moments, but the songwriting and performance make up for it. They even managed to bust out a great cover of “Doom Town” by Portland legends Wipers. Let’s get into it!
Idle Hands
A very sick bass line introduces the track, with the guitar quickly following suit by mirroring it. When the verse kicks in, the guitar drops out a bit to give room for bass and drums. Vocally, this hits the mark and feels like the singer is belting their heart out with every line. Everything in this track feels thoughtfully arranged and presented for the listener’s pleasure. They waste no time building it up with background vocals that complement the main vocals. Between the verses, we’re ingratiated with guitar leads that deliver melodic elements without becoming too much of a solo. Making appearances throughout the song, they feel familiar and at home within the track. It’s a short moment, but my favorite vocal section is after “We’re gonna lose control” when the lead vocals scream“Alright!”. It emphasizes the transition and delivers some intense emotion that the song benefits from. The song follows a typical A-B pattern, excluding the bridge section. I love that they take that end guitar lead solo and turn it into a rapid speed-up with all the instruments to usher the song out. My only critique was the predictability displayed at times.
Contra
Drums barrel into the mix, bringing a powerful cadence that sets the tone of the song. I do wish there was a bit more punch within the kick drum to make this section stand out. Slyly, the bass creeps in and sets the tone for the whole song with a sleek bass line that ushers in the melodic aspect. Guitar comes in, hammering on a riff to add to the tension before it slowly dissipates into the first verse. Vocals remain front and center, adding a strong, memorable presence to the track. I’ve grown to appreciate the level of grit the vocals deliver while executing some great melodies. Not entirely sure what the lyrics are, but I do love the main refrain “What you think is real” for how simply put it is. How they layer background vocals creates a larger presence of vocal melody that lifts and benefits the more raw production style. Directly after the 2nd time through the main refrain, the guitar copies the bass line to accentuate that riff and digs into more of a grunge feel. The bridge is an extension of the main riff with only a slight variation in how it is presented. Easily my favorite track on this EP for how concise and thought out it is, yet I do think it feels a tad repetitive in ways that I think could be changed up a bit.
Rock Bottom
High Glow wastes no time ushering in this track. For that reason, I find it charming and familiar in a comforting way. The guitar delivers a tasty little melodic element that feels reminiscent of many classic punk ballads, while remaining heavy. For the first minute and a half, we’re delivered a repeated A-B section. “What should we do now" is the main vocal refrain and becomes one of those ear worms that is hard to get out of your head once it’s made its way in. During the bridge, the rest of the band chooses to cut out while the bass leads the song into a slight variation of the main riff. One of my favorite sections of the song comes in at the 2:05 mark. It feels similar to what the band achieved during one of the later sections of Contra when the guitars copied the bass riff.
High Glow is intentional in all that they deliver and continues to surprise me on this track in particular. Rock Bottom is the type of song you’d end a set with to get the crowd singing. Perhaps one you’d sing along with your friends at a bar during last call. It's a somewhat shorter track, but it packs everything it needs into nearly 3 minutes.
Doom Town
I do enjoy what High Glow did with their version, but admittedly not my favorite choice of song. I was not too familiar with the Wipers before this listen but it does make me want to do more of a deep dive on the band. Drums and bass are a bit more present in this mix and take up more space than the original. Guitar tones remain gritty, drums keep the beat and hit hard, and bass hits that low-end with lots of drive. The only section that was not landing with me as much as I had hoped was the “Doom Town” section with lower vocals mixed with the spacey background vocals. I think that could have been dialed in more to sound a little more cohesive. Since it is a cover I don’t have much critique when it comes to songwriting but overall it is a decent cover to throw in the mix.
