Glass Rabbit understand that tension is often more effective when it is allowed to build slowly. And on their new single ‘Damn Shame’, the Portland quartet begin in a hazy, almost weightless space before gradually allowing that restraint to fracture. The result is a track that moves convincingly between dream-pop, shoegaze and noise-rock, using contrast to create its strongest moments.
Becky Phillips’ vocal sits at the centre of the first half, delivered with a hushed, intimate quality that gives the song an almost suspended feeling. Around her, Scott Crawford and Johnny Pils layer guitars in a way that feels immersive, drawing on the blurred textures associated with My Bloody Valentine while keeping enough space for the melody to breathe.
Then as the arrangement grows heavier and more unstable, the softness of the opening begins to give way to something harsher and more cathartic.
The arrival of new drummer Eric Rubalcava also seems to have pushed the band into a slightly different space. While their earlier material leaned more heavily into shoegaze, ‘Damn Shame’ feels more atmospheric and dynamic, with its dreamier passages carrying as much weight as the eventual noise-rock release.
Recorded at Singing Sands in Portland with Tobias Berlinger and mixed by David Gross, the track makes strong use of layered guitar effects, combining polished equipment with lo-fi techniques to create a sound that feels detailed without becoming too clean.
As the first release leading towards forthcoming album Water Sleep Machines, due in 2027, ‘Damn Shame’ feels like a useful marker of where Glass Rabbit are heading. It keeps the density and distortion that shaped their earlier work, but places greater emphasis on space, mood and contrast.
Fragile at first and considerably more abrasive by the end, ‘Damn Shame’ works because neither side cancels the other out. The restraint makes the eruption hit harder, and the noise makes the vulnerability linger longer.