glimmers, The Art Of Shattering

Time is a funny thing. Maggie Schneider and Alex Downtain watered the musical seeds planted before the pandemic into a strong tree. They occasionally picked the fruit over time, knowing what the Atlanta pop rock duo had to offer. Over the last couple of years, it seems the tree was left to bear the fruit of every facet of their talents. The Art Of Shattering is a culmination of that photosynthetic growth packed into an undeniable first LP. 

Maggie Schneider shot by Hanna Middleton

Lyrically, Schneider has always had a knack for contagious prose. The first two songs are incredible hooks with incredible hooks. Her melodic choices have an uplifting tone that sometimes clash with the attitude of the song. It’s a hypnotizing feature that most melody chasers cannot achieve, but Maggie’s a pro. Downtain holds down the composition with catchy guitar work and careful approach to tone. “Emotional Whiplash” is full of his tongue and cheek solo fills that transition the sections of the songs well. 

The roots of their journey really begin to show right in the middle, with the band taking a retrospective on friendship and the sometimes-cutthroat nature of the music industry. “Back To Hell” is a bouncy anthem sprinkled with a bit of bitter reality. The building up from an acoustic verse up to the big synths and crunchy guitars feels like a timeline of the glimmers sound. Schneider doesn’t make us work hard to find out how she feels, and I appreciate that. The catharsis is shared more the further we move along. “Bandaid” has a synth intro that carries on through the song that digs its way into the deepest corners of your brain. Whatever sauce Alex put on this mix is spicy; you feel every bit of that heat. It’s pop rock with a capital R. 

Those who have seen Maggie’s solo journey flourish into this football stadium ready sound will ABSOLUTELY love this album. It’s ambition turned to fruition. Those who have found the band at their inception will find a more polished tone and an epic love letter to the ride that got them here. Brand new listeners just might get whiplash, wondering where glimmers has been all their lives. Those not on the wagon yet just haven’t heard it. The sustenance the band bears us has ample nutritional value. Bitter at the bite, but sweet to the ears. The Atlanta pop rockers picked this pomegranate at the perfect time.