#glassio

It’s felt like Spring for a while outside (at least here in the Southwest) but now the calendar agrees, Spring has officially sprung. This is a season of change and renewal and in keeping with those themes, I’ve made a mix of 25 stirring tunes (including quite a few I first heard at SXSW this year), to bring you some joy while you experience the warmth and emerging beauty of the season. Click here to listen to this mix in its entirety.

01. Jens Lekman - To Know Your Mission 02. Jay Som - The Bus Song 03. Halfnoise - Know The Feeling 04. The Shins - Mildenhall 05. courtship. - Sail Away 06. San Fermin - No Promises 07. Beach Fossils - This Year 08. Hand Habits - Flower Glass 09. Dams of the West - Death Wish 10. Jessie Reyez - Shutter Island 11. IAN SWEET - 2soft2chew 12. Fleet Foxes - Third of May / Ōdaigahara 13. Bellows - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter 14. The Drums - Blood Under The Belt 15. Real Estate - White Light 16. Glassio - Morning House (feat. Charles Fauna) 17. Day Wave - Wasting Time 18. The xx - I Dare You 19. Woods - Love is Love 20. Land of Talk - This Time 21. Islands - Right To Be Misbegotten 21. HAERTS - Your Love 23. FRND - Substitute 24. Cherry Glazerr - Nuclear Bomb 25. Sharon Van Etten - The End of the World

Full indie vibes here

The single is a surreal, shimmering slice of melancholy electro pop that turns a cinematic reference into a deeply personal meditation on loss and goodbyes. Blending French-Touch grooves, New Wave textures, and the melodic richness of Brian Wilson, “Al Pacino” expands on the sonic world Glassio has coined as “melancholy disco.”

Stream Al Pacino:

Glassio has garnered 25 million streams and his music has received placements in Netflix and HBO series. His music has received praise from the likes of FADER, NYLON, FLOOD, Wonderland and Consequence among others.

Glassio is the Dream-Pop-tinged Indie-Dance project from Irish-Iranian songwriter-producer Sam R. Having garnered over 25 million streams over the course of his career and toured with acts like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Nada Surf, and Electric Youth, Glassio has become a staple Indie-Electronic outfit, drawing in fans from all over the world, some of whom include entrepreneur and model Miranda Kerr. His music has been featured on shows on HBO and Netflix, and he has remixed and co-written music for a wide number of artists from Warner Case to Clubhouse to Madge.

Often described as “melancholy-disco,” Glassio’s sound was born out of a love for applying a melodic sweetness to brooding dance beats, carving out a unique space in the Indie-Electronic world that bridges influences from Big Beat to Chamber Pop to New Wave.

Credits:

Written: @loren_beri and @glassiomusic Produced/mixed: @glassiomusic Co-produced: @loren_beri and @octavedowner Mastered: @lohariel Drums: @charlesfauna Guitar: @io_and_titan Violas: @cinerdy

Born and raised between Sharjah in the Middle East and Monterey in California, Sam R. fell in love with music listening to Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, Graceland by Paul Simon, and “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen on his way to school in the mornings.

After moving to New York in 2011, he joined several indie-rock bands, including a psych-folk group with Maggie Rogers. He started Glassio with his friend and collaborator Charles Pinel after the two began DJing around NYC and falling in love with dance music.

A debut EP, Poptimism, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim and viral success, with lead single “Try Much Harder” peaking at No. 9 on the Global Viral Charts on Spotify. A series of singles and the Age of Experience EP followed in 2018, further cementing Glassio as an act that “proves that electronic music and great storytelling are a perfect match.”

A full-length album, For The Very Last Time, was released via Downtown Music in 2020, garnering over 7 million streams online and recognition from Bandcamp as one of the best electronic albums of the year. The record featured guest vocals from Brooklyn-based songwriter Daneshevskaya. The follow-up album, See You Shine, made waves in Europe, charting at No. 1 on multiple iTunes Charts around the world. Lead single “Breakaway” was featured in Amazon Studios’ feature film Don’t Make Me Go and Netflix’s Locke and Key.

Glassio’s single “Heartstrings” is a sun-tinged ode to surrendering oneself to the joys of a new relationship. The track surpassed 100K streams in its first month.

The track is a fresh take on Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City," transforming the classic into a hypnotic, electronic-chill anthem that is perfect for the dancefloor. 

He confides, "This is my melancholy-disco take on Bruce Springsteen’s acoustically-produced track ‘Atlantic City,’ a song about desperation, and one last chance. I feel like many of us are feeling this way with the world at large. I wanted to realize this song with the modern day in mind.”

The remake features candy-coated synthesizers, lush, groovy instrumentation paired with warm vocals. The mix of organic instrumentation and digital textures adds depth and richness, making the song feel like an immersive listening experience.

As one of New York’s most vital indie exports now based in London, Glassio is gearing up to open for Nada Surf this November, ahead of his highly anticipated third album, dropping in 2025. The creator has over 13 million streams and has been praised by the likes of FADER, NYLON, FLOOD, Wonderland and Consequence among others.

Listen Atlantic City in YouTube:

Built around the melodic and lyrically oblique songwriting of Irish-Persian musician Sam R., Glassio has become one of New York City’s staple Indie-Electronic outfits over the past 7 years, garnering millions of streams online and amassing a loyal fanbase around the world. Born out of a love for applying a melodic sweetness to brooding dance beats, the indie-pop outfit has carved out a unique sound that often bridges influences from Big Beat to Chamber Pop to New Wave. 

Born and raised in both Sharjah in the Middle East and Monterey in California, Sam R. fell in love with music listening to Pet Sounds and Graceland on his way to school in the mornings. “It was that juxtaposition of hearing Brian Wilson’s harmonies in a very barren, desert/Arabian landscape that I think planted the seeds for my love for making music that mixes different influences and challenges associations you might have with certain instruments,” Sam explains.

A Debut EP Poptimism was released in 2016 to critical acclaim and viral success with lead single “Try Much Harder” peaking at No. 9 on the Global Viral Charts on Spotify. A series of singles and the Age of Experience EP followed in 2018, further cementing Glassio as an act that “proves that electronic music and great storytelling are a perfect match.” 

A full length album, For The Very Last Time, was released via Downtown Music in 2020, garnering over 7 million streams online, and recognition from Bandcamp as one of the best electronic albums of the year. The record featured guest vocals from Brooklyn-based songwriter Daneshevskaya. Follow up album, See You Shine, made waves in Europe, charting at No. 1 on multiple iTunes Charts around the world. Lead single “Breakaway” was featured in Amazon Studios’ feature film Don’t Make Me Go and Netflix’s Locke and Key.