Phoenix-based shoegazers Glixen — Aislinn Ritchie (vocals), Esteban Santana (guitar), Keire Johnson (drums) and Sonia Garcia (bass) — was founded back in 2020 by the band’s Aislinn Ritchie, who then enlisted Santana, Johnson, and Garcia to complete the band’s lineup. Emerging from a scene of local DIY artists, the quartet’s unique sound and look set them apart from their counterparts and led to tours across the US alongside bands like Narrow Head, Cowgirl Clue, MSPaint, Hotline TNT, and They’re Gutting A Body of Water.
Glixen’s debut EP She Only Said was released in the summer of 2023 through Julia’s War Recordings. The EP saw the band adding themselves to a list of contemporary shoegaze outfits actively pushing the genre in a new direction — through a approach that incorporates ethereal pop vocals and shimmering guitars that are meant to guide you toward the feeling of true self-expression.
Building upon a growing profile, the Phoenix-based shoegazers’ highly-anticiapted Sonny DiPerri-produced sophomore EP quiet pleasures is slated for a February 21, 2025 release digitally through AWAL and on vinyl through Wichita Recordings. The EP will feature previously release singles “sick silent” and three singles I wrote about on this site:
- “foreversoon,” a woozy bit of shoegaze built around fuzzy and melodic power chord-driven guitars, thunderous drumming and Ritchie’s tender and ethereal falsetto paired with enormous hooks and choruses. “foreverspoon” sees the Phoenix-based outfit taking up a much heavier sound that seemingly channels Souvlaki-era Slowdive, Nowhere-era RIDE, and contemporaries like JOVM mainstays Blushing. “‘foreversoon’ represents blissful moments of new love and intimacy,” Glixen’s Aislinn Ritchie explains. “The song harnesses melancholy chords, layered with fuzzy red melodies and gliding guitars that pull you in deeper. I wanted my lyrics to feel like a conversation that expresses my infatuation and sensuality. Time is relentless and memories are fleeting, this song encapsulates those emotions forever.”
- “lust” is a woozy track that sees the band continuing to explore a heavier sound — but this time channeling 90s grunge and nu-metal with fuzz and distorted pedaled power chords, down-tuned bass and blissed out rhythms. Ritchie’s yearning vocal ethereally floating over the brooding and muscular arrangement. “lust” is about the yearning and wanting of somebody and the rush that that person makes you feel,” Glixen’s Aislinn Ritchie explains. “It is a feeling that is shallow, yet it feels intense and passionate but only for a moment. We wanted to take the direction of our sound to a heavier place. I wanted the weight of the sound to crush me.”
- “lick the star,” which begins with an eerily atmospheric sound bath-inspired introduction that sounds a bit like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive, before quickly turning into a wall of sound of fuzzy and swirling guitar textures, thunderous drumming paired with Ritchie’s ethereal yet plaintive delivery before ending with bursts of feedback.
Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site, you might recall that last year was a busy year for the rising Phoenix-based shoegazers: They played SXSW and Treefort Festval. They’ve also had opening slots for acts like Interpol, DIIV, Nothing., Tanukichan, Turnover, Glare, Glitterer, Softcult and Fish Narc among others.
Building upon the rising momentum surrounding the band, 2025 looks to potentially be a breakthrough year: Along with the forthcoming release of their sophomore EP, the band will be embarking on their first North American headlining tour throughout February and March with openers Suzy Clue and she’s green. The tour will include a March 15, 2024 stop at Baby’s All Right and their Coachella debut in April. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
The newest JOVM mainstays’ latest single “all tied up” is features churning and stormy guitars, pummeling drumming around Ritchie’s pleading delivery. “all tied up” showcases the band’s uncanny knack for crafting deeply earnest material with rousingly anthemic hooks and chorus that sounds indebted to classic shoegaze — but with a subtly modern sensibility.
“‘all tied up’ is about feeling completely consumed by someone,” says Ritchie. “We definitely wanted the song to feel enveloping. There’s a subtle tension that builds throughout with a push and pull between the guitars and vocals. The song hits hard with its emotional depth, yet breathes with a playful melody.”
2025 Tour Dates
FEBRUARY
21 – Backstage Bar – Las Vegas, NV
22 – The Great Room – Fresno, CA
23 – Starlet Room – Sacramento, CA
25 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
27 – Polaris Hall – Portland, OR #
28 – The Shakedown – Bellingham, WA #
MARCH
2 – Neurolux – Boise, ID #
3 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT #
5 – Hi-Dive – Denver, CO #
7 – 7th St.Entry – Minneapolis, MN #
8 – Howdy – Kansas City, MO #
9 – Schubas – Chicago, IL %#
10 – Lager House – Detroit, MI %#
11 – Bottlerocket Social Hall – Pittsburgh, PA %#
13 – Monarch Tavern – Toronto, ON %#
14 – Cabaret Foufounes – Montreal, QC %#
15 – Baby’s All Right – Brooklyn, NY %#
16 – PhilaMOCA – Philadelphia, PA %#
17 – DC9 – Washington, DC %#
18 – The Pinhook – Durham, NC %#
20 – DRKMTTR – Nashville, TN %#
21 – The Masquerade – Altar – Atlanta, GA %#
22 – LCY Media – Birmingham, AL %#
24 – Club Dada – Dallas, TX %#
25 – The Ballroom – Austin, TX %#
26 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX %#
28 – Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM #
29 – Club Congress – Tucson, AZ #
APRIL
5 – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ #
11 – Coachella – Indio, CA †
18 – Coachella – Indio, CA †
“all tied up” is out now, serving as the final preview of their eagerly anticipated sophomore EP. As guitars churn around vocalist Aislinn Ritchie’s pleading vocals, hard-hitting drums anchor the sonic hurricane, showcasing the band’s growing sound-melding abilities.
“‘all tied up’ is about feeling completely consumed by someone,” says Ritchie. “We definitely wanted the song to feel enveloping. There’s a subtle tension that builds throughout with a push and pull between the guitars and vocals. The song hits hard with its emotional depth, yet breathes with a playful melody.”