What is the world you want to see? Is it possible to shift one’s perspective just enough to remake the world to match what you want to see? It sounds impossible—and the start of just about every utopian disaster ever—but that’s because we’re always focused on the big picture.
On their recently released, debut full-length, Glacier Veins wrestle with smaller questions, ones of gratitude, small joys, and tweaks in perception. It doesn’t hurt that as a package, The World You Want to See, out now via Equal Vision/Common Ground Collective, will make every listener’s ears very grateful.
There’s just something special about the Portland group’s dream punk—brushes of shoegaze, post-hardcore, pop-punk, and dream pop are the musical colors Glacier Veins play with. It’s like a best-of compilation of the past 15 years of alternative, but with the opposite lyrical approach. Vocalist and guitarist Malia Endres highlights where this mindset came from and how it’s evolved:
“I’m not saying that everything is perfect if you just tell yourself it is, but I do believe that how content we feel in our lives and how much happiness we experience depends on how we perceive the things that go on in our lives. There was a positive shift in my life when I began noticing small joys and expressing gratitude for even the most simple things, and when I became comfortable with the idea that all of the events in my life are bringing me to the place where I’m supposed to be.
“The songs on the album are a combination of my excitement for this way to view the world and my own process of working through experiences in order to understand their purpose and grow from it.”
There’s a grounded element to the band, and that’s how musically tight and refined this is, especially for a first outing. That’s all by design, as Endres notes:
“I started Glacier Veins with the intent of making it my forever music project. Writing songs is my emotional outlet, so I feel super connected to the songs I write. By starting Glacier Veins, I wanted to make sure that the songs I was writing wouldn’t be part of a project that had the possibility of the band breaking up and having to walk away from those songs.
“I wanted to have a project that I could continue to play under, regardless of members coming in and out of the band. I’m super grateful to have found Tyler, Kyle, and Jason through everything. Despite how the project started, the four of us are Glacier Veins. Our similarities and differences in music tastes really allow us to write and play well together and creatively.”
Musically, the vibe continues to the effervescent tunes.
“We wanted people to be able to feel the emotion in the music,” Endres says. “Some songs are for feeling good and getting excited. Other songs are for feeling the heaviness of certain situations. I love music that makes me want to groove, so that comes out in the music I write, just because it’s what I would want to hear. All four of us were excited to bring in our own tastes to each song, so it was nice to find the sound for this record through a combination of our different musical interests.”
Purchase a copy here.
