Music Monday: A Glimmer from the north

We’ve all gotten those ads. You know the ones, thrown together in Microsoft Paint, accented with a Barbie airbrush, and compressed down to 480p. Their proclamation is a simple, yet effective one: “HOT SINGLES IN YOUR AREA.” 

Well, those ads may have lied — lord knows I wish they hadn’t — a classic case of preying on male gullibility. Much to my dismay, every time I tried out one of those links, I was led to a rather unfortunate type of website. This humble music director was not prepared for that type of “hot single.”

I was hoping for singles of the song variety; I’m not a freak. 

Fortunately, “Dissolve,” “Slow Saturday” and “Sorrow Again” were real. This time, it wasn’t a sham: there genuinely were hot singles in my inbox. 

Glimmer, the band that wrote those songs, is what you get when four New Yorkers who’ve honed their musicianship come together. It’s magic. The band has been together since March 2023 or for about two and a half years, Jeff Moore, the band’s founder and composer, said during a phone interview with WDCE.

“The band is kinda an amalgamation of influences,” Moore said. “[It’s] a lot of shoegaze influence, a lot of heavier, grungy stuff. And then at the heart of it is pop elements.”

Glimmer is Jeff Moore on vocals and guitar, Jaye Moore, his cousin, on drums, Johnny Nicholls on guitar, Kevin Dobbins on bass.

“It was formed after I took a long break from playing music,” Moore said. “Then I started writing a couple of songs, picked up the guitar again and just got the idea to form a new band.”

Each member had experience with bands and do-it-yourself outfits, but this time they were unified. There was a common goal and the same drive, which made the band work, Moore said. If it didn’t, things would fall apart, he added. 

“The main goal is to make music that we like, play music that we want to hear,” Moore said. “We want to elevate the band so we get more and more opportunities to hit the road, play for more people, get to meet more people, and meet other bands.”

Live performance has been Glimmer’s mantra. 

“We had a thing we called the ‘year one blitz,’” Moore said. “We just did as many shows as possible.”

He knew it was unsustainable to play only in New York. So, the band started playing in and with groups from Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Washington D.C. in a series of weekend bursts. 

From the beginning, Glimmer played original music. As they booked shows, they released singles. Now, their first full album release is around the corner: “Get Weak” drops on Oct. 3. A tour to promote the album will stop in Richmond on Oct. 12.

Over the past year, singles from “Get Weak” have been slowly drip-fed in preparation. While the record isn’t out yet, Moore is thinking ahead, saying, “Keep the momentum going.”

Month over month and with each new single release, Moore said he was leaving himself sonic stepping-stones. He was building on the sounds of the past to push Glimmer forward. 

“We want to make a good record, and have that resonate with people, so we can have more opportunities to tour and play live,” Moore said. “That’s what we love to do.”

Contact opinions and columns editor Jonathan Sackett at jonathan.sackett@richmond.edu