“She Has Made It To The Other Side” is the second single released in 2021 by Brooklyn-based indie group Glom. Despite being a relatively new act, Glom has made a reputable stamp on the Indie genre since the release of their first record in 2019.
“She Has Made It To The Other Side” is extremely complex. It is rich with vastly differing textures. From the sharp snares and smooth vocals to the rough rhythm guitar and bright lead, this song runs the gamut. Attempting to blend these vastly different sounds is an ambitious undertaking, one that Glom conquers with great success.
Does the chaotic nature of this song work in its favor or does it overstimulate the listener? The answer is far from straightforward with a considerable amount of subjectivity to consider. For me, the different textures offered a refreshing amount of variety. They don’t necessarily gel together, but that works in the song’s favor. Contemporary music is often masked in one subdued tone, one harsh tone, etc. In the case of “She Has Made It To The Other Side,” you get several flavors at once.
There is an incredible scale to “She Has Made It To The Other Side.” The copious amounts of reverb and layers make for a sound so grand you might think you’re at a concert. Sean Dunnevant and Peter Beiser provide robust guitar lines as well as some impressive vocals despite them being slightly muddled in the final mix. The rest of the band don’t hold back either, everyone is going all in. There is almost a sense of competition for the listeners’ attention because everyone is firing on all cylinders.
“She Has Made It To The Other Side” borrows a lot from previous Glom singles. Contrary to what you may believe it is beneficial to the new single. “Immortalized,” released earlier this year, possesses a similar chord progression to “She Has Made It To The Other Side.” It is crucial for a band to develop their own unique sound a build off it, and that’s exactly what Glom has done. If you reinvent yourself with every single, it becomes almost impossible to build a loyal fanbase.
There is plenty of variety to be found in the Glom catalog. Several of their album tracks offer totally different approaches than the singles; songs like “Umami” off 2020’s Merit or “Forlorn” from Bond (2019). These songs are much less pop-focused. I have always been more interested in deep cuts, so I enjoy their non-single material a lot.
Sometimes people are turned off by the “indie” title, so releasing songs that are a little less indie and obscure as singles seems like the safer route to go down. Singles should be more approachable, more mainstream. If you’re like me and you prefer a more avant-garde sound, Glom has you covered on that front too.
I find Glom’s “She Has Made It To The Other Side” to be an excellent piece that expands on the previous work of the group in an inventive way. The musicianship is staggering, and the lyrics are thoughtful and curious. Altogether, an excellent package.
