With all that is going on in the world, we need a moment to just relax and take our mind off of things—in comes Unstabile and their new project Glimmers.
I want people to feel the music. To me, music is a caring force.
Not only is Glimmers Unstabile’s latest release, but it follows their other projects like A Drop in the Stream and Steep. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Unstabile, now in Western Massachusetts, has been around music in one way or another since elementary school. Their name acknowledges the fact that they believe all structures are unstable and life is fluid. This added to the progression of their sound has culminated in their release today.
What stands out the most about the Lo-Fi project is the cohesion you can hear—feeling as though it was almost a graduation from previous projects. While those were good, Glimmers has the feeling one gets when looking out into a sunset. Panning from left to right you have an unbroken view that puts colors that flow together that aren’t look out of place. Glimmers, while having a run time of about 17 minutes, packs that into a succinct, molded project.
“Glimmers feels more concise and direct, and not just because it’s shorter,” Unstabile wrote. “In some ways the process was pretty similar to the other projects, but something felt firmer.”
Recording Process
When all was said and done, it took about two to three months of recording to complete the project, Unstabile said. Their favorite part of the process is the initial vision for the music. That time when they are able to hear something clearly leads to listening, following the sound and simply “letting it happen.”
This process is what Unstabile has been using to create their sound and it hasn’t changed much, though they feel more capable now. With Glimmers, they were able to continue evolving throughout the time the project was recorded. Unstabile’s versatility allowed them to curate the sounds exactly to their liking at all parts of the recording process.
“Though I don’t think there’s a singular takeaway,” they said. “The interlude is sort of the gist [of Glimmers]. I want to encourage noticing how thoughts can, among other things, distract you from your own magic, or your own capabilities. And to notice how it feels when it clears up. Getting a glimpse of part(s) of yourself you didn’t see lit up before.”
Artwork
To bring the project together, Unstabile enlisted the help of a mutual friend, Ella Rosa. Rosa, who creates digital and physical collages as Pulp Prints, came up with the idea for the cover art after being allowed to get a first listen to the project.
Though she said she likes to listen to all of the music while brainstorming a project, she said it was “On My Way” where she wrote down feelings, colors and key lyrics to associate with the Glimmers art. She said she wrote down “purple, bright and fluid” as the best fitting words for the release.
Glimmers is truly beautiful. It’s dreamy, ethereal, and extremely well put together [and] thought out.
Rosa tends to go with her normal collage style of art, but for this, she said she wanted to create something different.
“I wanted to create something completely unique, so I actually drew the purple squiggle shapes and walking figures,” she said. “I drew a figure with ripples around their feet to represent growth, travel and change. Since the project is titled Glimmers, I also wanted to include some sort of water aspect that almost acts as a portal.”
