Glimpse of Heaven

by Chasms

Overview

Considering Chasms' dramatic evolution from On the Legs of Love Purified's heavy shoegaze to The Mirage's dub- and techno-tinged catharsis, it's apt that Jess Labrador's third album reflects on the strength it takes to make massive life changes. The Mirage proved she was more than capable of harnessing powerful emotions, but where that record's grief and introspection blurred into an all-consuming haze, Glimpse of Heaven feels tight even when Labrador sings about confusion and despair. The crisp sonics not only mirror the album's mood of growing clarity, they reflect Labrador's growth as a producer. Going deeper into Chasms' electronic side than she did on The Mirage, she uses synths and beats as impressionistically as she used guitars and effects pedals on her earlier records. "Decay," one of the album's most exciting moments, recalls the work of her Felte labelmate Public Memory. Shrouded by subterranean drones, Labrador confronts her trauma, singing "I survive memory" over a beat that sounds like zombies marching in lockstep. "Have you ever recreated pain because it's familiar?" she murmurs on "Parallel," backed by an elegant piano melody and cracked rhythm descended from the likes of Massive Attack and Portishead. Fittingly for a project named Chasms, Labrador uses space as an active element to magnify the drama of Glimpse of Heaven's songs. On the mesmerizing title track, a snap pierces the air; on "Another Dream" and "Aftertaste," the languid pauses between her vocals convey the danger of being trapped by illusions and hopes. The album's spacious sound also showcases Labrador's increasingly strong writing on songs such as "Submit," where the unrelenting rhyme scheme expresses the emptiness of going through the motions of having emotions. As delicate as Glimpse of Heaven's shadows and whispers may sound, the album gives full weight to how hard it is to come to terms with the past and not let it poison the future. "Ache" begins the set with a surprising mix of sensuality and self-doubt, with Labrador yearning for everything that the slinky beats and Curve-like guitar squalls surrounding her seem to embody. Things appear to reach a turning point with the somber warmth of "Things Have Changed," but "Waiting for the Spell to Break" leaves Labrador adrift among tumbling percussion and cavernous washes of sound, closing the album on an ambivalent note that's more affecting and genuine than a simple happy ending. Caught somewhere between memories, dreams, and reality, Glimpse of Heaven reaffirms that Chasms' gift for expressing difficult emotions with transporting music hasn't changed at all. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	03/24/2023
Label:	Felte
UPC:	0843563150863
Rank:	98553

Tracks

1. Ache
2. Another Dream
3. Glimpse of Heaven
4. Decay
5. Parallel
6. Things Have Changed
7. Aftertaste
8. Submit
9. Waiting for the Spell to Break

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chasms   Primary Artist
Joshua Eustis   Bass,Piano

Technical Credits

Nigel Dennis   Design
Joshua Eustis   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Rafael Anton Irisarri   Mastering
Anthony Ciannamea   Artwork
Jess Labrador   Composer,Engineer,Producer