We try to drop everything when it comes to Goddamn Glenn-related projects. The frontperson for both Parlour Bells and Looking Glass War has that old school Justin Hawkins bravado (“Old School” in the same sentence as The Darkness is weird, right???), the showmanship of Freddie Mercury, and a penchant for tapping into the voice of that mid-’00’s next wave of European Indie Post-Rawk artists (Think Editors, Franz Ferdinand) so any excuse to wax poetic on new songs with GG behind the mic is a no-brainer in the RNRF office.
Which brings us to today and a new(ish) batch of songs from Looking Glass War and the Saints Of The Lost And Found EP which arrives on March 28th! The “new” gets an “ish” only because 3 out of the 4 tracks present here have been steadily dropping since last year with new single “Seance by the RCA” the sole debut. But if you, like us, dig your music as a collected works-type thing (Read: Album, EP) then you’re in luck! And if you don’t, just think of SOTLOF as a maxi-single (Remember them???). But either way: New Looking Glass War!
“See You In Hell, Liberty Bell” just pops and is quintessential LGW. Released last summer, the SOTLOF lead-in boasts big hooks and bigger choruses with guitarist Pete Zeigler meting out some canonical chords that are instantly infectious as Tony Porter belts out the beats that make Looking Glass War tick while Mike Ackley accompanies, accentuating all with the bass line delivery. New track “Seance by the RCA” nicely fits inside the already established pillars of SOTLAF with Zeigler’s guitar blanketing the work with slick strums and the Porter/Ackley pairing effortlessly working their collective sonic magic as Goddamn Glenn’s voice entangles itself around the instrumental structure erected before belting out the song’s broad chorus.
“Rumination House” is a sleek, sexy number that’s more luscious than it is Lounge-like with all parties involved reeling it in ever so slightly to let the story steal the spotlight before the grand finale arrives next. Personally, we think the finale in question is one of the greatest, ahem, goddamn Looking Glass War songs to date and captures that sense of urgency that debut single “Arrive!” had when it, sorry, arrived back in 2023. Here, within Saints Of The Lost And Found, it fits perfectly as LGW tap into a more Post-Punk aesthetic in the vein of early Joy Division or Bauhaus with Ackley and Porter’s differing rhythmic journeys playing out nicely, Zeigler dropping those mesmerizing melodies synonymous of that era and topped off by Goddamn Glenn with one of the most memorable LSG vocal performances yet ending with the powerfully poignant for these times line: “You’re not saved”
Saints Of The Lost And Found drops on March 28th and the band will be celebrating its’ release with a show at Faces Brewing Co. the following night, March 29th, supporting Bird Language alongside Airport. Tix for the show can be found here with all of the rest of your Looking Glass War social media needs located here or here.