“It’s still growth if it’s growing apart.”
I get a lot of music in my inbox. Due to that, a lot of it sadly passes me by, as there are only so many hours in the day. One band that managed to slip through, however, was GILT. I’m not sure what, but something led me to opening that email, and from the moment I hit play I was enchanted.
In Windows, Through Mirrors is the kind of release that makes me wonder what the hell I’m missing in the countless local music scenes around the world. The alternative scene over here in the UK is wonderful, with bands like Loathe, Static Dress and Sleep Token carving their own unique paths, but GILT, based over in Florida, clicked with me in a way very little bands do so quickly.
At just three songs (two reimagined tracks from their full-length, and one new track) with their brand new vocalist Ash Stixx, In Windows, Through Mirrors is one of the most electrifying post-hardcore releases of the year – and one that has left me wanting more. Opener “In Windows (Ignore What’s Mirrors)” captivates with a shoegazey post-hardcore number drenched in atmosphere. A perfectly calculated concoction of raw emotion and earwormy catchiness, “In Windows (Ignore What’s Missing)” captivated me from the jump. Something about Stixx’s gorgeous vocal tone, mixed with masterful instrumental work of Tyler Fieldhouse and Tilley Komorny that keeps the tune feeling equal parts moody and beautiful, just got me; just grabbed me upon hearing it for the first time. Second track “Long Time Coming” follows suit with another post-hardcore number, continuing the trend set by the first track as an atmospheric track drenched a potent level of melancholia; though feeling a tad more reserved until the track’s final moments, as it ramps up the energy and emotion before closing out.
Closer “Through Mirrors (I Didn’t Want You As A Mirror” changes up the pace and tone set by the first two tracks. Opting instead for a La Dispute-esque angle on their own brand of post-hardcore, replete with the emotive lyricism and slam poetry trappings one would expect from a modern rendition of something like “King Park”. The lyrical content on display here should be highlighted too, seeming to deal with topics like gender dysphoria and self image. It’s incredibly raw, and made all the more potent and laudable given each member of GILT is either non-binary, trans or gender-fluid. It’s a little thing on paper, but I love seeing representation of this stuff in this side of music.
In Windows, Through Mirrors is a raw, personal examination of some seriously heavy topics; all set to the tune of some of the most enjoyable and earworm-y post-hardcore I’ve heard in years. Borrowing from such wide-ranging sonic influences as La Dispute, all the way to the verb-drenched shoegaze wave in alternative music as of late with bands like Loathe, in just three tracks In Windows, Through Mirrors demonstrates a mastery of a breadth of sounds, all proving to establish GILT as one of the most exciting up-and-coming post-hardcore acts out there.
In Windows, Through Mirrors will be available via self-release now, and you can find the record here. For all things GILT, post-hardcore and music in general, keep it locked on Boolin Tunes.
9/10