ALBUM REVIEW: Rationale – Glitterer

GLITTERER have evolved a lot from their humble beginnings in 2017. Initially a solo project for Ned Russin, who started the band after his previous outfit TITLE FIGHT stopped touring and released two albums as a one-man operation, they are now a post-hardcore quartet who have just released their new album Rationale. Having cracked the code for short attention spans on 2021’s Life Is Not A Lesson, the band have stuck to this here too, with 12 songs clocking in at just 21 minutes. Sometimes less is more.

Opening the album is I Want To Be Invisible which kicks off with a synth that sounds like an alarm before evolving into keyboards and synths. This fills almost the first minute of the song, which is nearly half the runtime, but the track manages to pack a lot in and still sound complete. In fact, this goes for the whole album. Whether it is the grunge-esque The Same Ordinary, the bass-heavy Plastic, or the slow-paced rock of Big Winner, Rationale remains coherent whilst also trying new things. No two songs are alike, and although the band class themselves as post-hardcore, there are songs on here that sound completely different to what might be a stereotypical conception of the genre.

Then again, post-hardcore is extremely open to interpretation, so it makes sense that GLITTERER are trying something new. The album isn’t perfect, as – rather ironically – a couple of the songs feel a bit too long. Whilst it is still under two minutes, Certainty starts off fast-paced before slowing down, and the instrumental solo and the chorus at the end seems to drag on due to being repetitive. This isn’t helped by the next track It’s My Turn which also slows down the pacing a lot. Whilst it could be seen as a nice break from all the fast-paced songs, having two slower songs in a row does not help the overall flow of the album.

Things get better with Just A Place, which is helped by adding some electric guitars into the mix, and the last few songs pick up the pacing to finish, especially closer Half Truth which is a fast guitar-driven rock song. At almost three minutes, it’s actually the longest track on the album, but here it flies by, with a fantastic bass solo to close things off.

Overall, GLITTERER have made an album that is entirely their own unique sound. By making the most of how wide of a genre post-hardcore is, the band have carved out their own little niche, and regardless of if you’re an old fan or a newcomer this album is well worth hearing.

Rating: 8/10

Rationale is out now via ANTI- Records.

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