Glassacre
“Glassacre is all shimmer and surge… the power of this music will creep up on you gradually, and before you know it the damn thing is on repeat play” – Luna Kafe
Glassacre is a delayed conversation between its members, a kind of handing over and giving in of the constituent elements in the hope that something larger will form. The collective will grow and shrink and the music will morph and paint with other colours. Rather than a band, this is an exercise in distillation and the opportunity to be unrestrained in play.
Discography
September 16th
November 2007
‘September 16th’ sees Glassacre at the height of their craft. The track is a tightly woven, intimately crafted piece of textured pop. Guitars coated in dark honey play against rolling drums as Chris Masons haunting vocals ring out across an altered twilight.As the song rallies to a kind of defeated triumph with the repeated vocal line “This is your stop”, everything shifts and the track takes a sharp 90 degree turn into a dark corridor. In true Glassacre style, ‘September 16th’ manages to discretely bridge together two disparate emotional landscapes leaving the listener without view of their origin. The single release features the bonus track ‘Sanctuary’ which finds Glassacre in drug dub dream pop mode. The song slides over you like a friendly cloud as the 5/4 beat gently slips you out of kilter.
Slow Attack
June 2006
Glassacre’s 2006 debut release featuring the single, “Swimming in Greece”, Glassacre deliver an EP full of luscious, textural dream pop. This is pop music to float inside.
Biography
The Boys
Glassacre are Chris Mason and Cam Merton. Chris and Cam have been writing and making music for the last 10 years, both individually, in other bands, and together.
Cam has played and recorded in several Australian outfits over the last 15 years, including CSR (a 15-year-old, still-current recording project with Perth musician Rick Mason), Lake Disappointment and Silo. He’s an established and practicing artist with over 10 years of national and international exhibition and performance behind him, and he also manages the Australian digital music label Hidden Shoal Recordings.
Besides playing and recording with the Chris Mason Implosion (their album Up Down Up is a pop gem), Chris also heads up the studio-based project My Majestic Star, whose wonderful cinematic post-rock yearnings have already gained international attention and sparkling reviews.
Releases
The band’s first EP, Slow Attack, has received glowing reviews and regular airplay on Australian radio, as well as featuring on a number of international radio and Internet radio stations. Glassacre’s music plays at the edges of electronica and pop while never really committing to either.
Perhaps the best introduction to the band comes in the form of their first single, ‘Swimming In Greece’. The song acts not as a benchmark of the Glassacre sound, but more as an indicator of their approach and mashing of sensibilities. Night-time beats roll around layers of turning guitars; warm and warning electronic tones call from behind; an almost spoken sing-song vocal intones gently but insistently. Two songs later and you’re lifted away by the gorgeous and breezy astral pop of ‘Tension Agreement’. The upcoming Glassacre album will bear even greater evidence to these wonderful musical schisms.
Glassacre are currently putting the finishing touches to their eagerly anticipated debut album, due out in the second half of 2007 through Hidden Shoal Recordings. Glassacre are also currently working with Australian experimental film-maker Sam Landels on the video accompaniment to their first single from the new album, ‘September 16th’.
News
Hidden Shoal in Textura’s Ten Favourite Labels of 2018 List!
Hidden Shoal is incredibly honoured to have been selected as one of Textura’s Ten Favourite Labels of 2018. Textura is, in our opinion, the premiere new music magazine and favourite of the label team for unearthing and exposing new and exciting new music. This is the second time Hidden Shoal has been selected in Textura’s best labels list and as always we are nestled against some other very special labels, all of who you should check out.Now for a very brief and unnecessary acceptance speech – we are nothing without our incredible roster of artists, who continually amaze, inspire and surprise us. Thank you all!
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Eat Your Friends: A Hidden Shoal 10th Anniversary Compilation
Hidden Shoal is excited to end the celebration of its 10th year of existence with the new compilation album Eat Your Friends, comprising remixes and covers of Hidden Shoal artists, by Hidden Shoal artists. This freely downloadable album not only showcases the wealth of original music released through Hidden Shoal, but also the creative ingenuity and deft musical touch of the remixers and cover artists.From searing solar-flared adaptations to delicately reconstructed covers, deep space jam reworkings, and shimmering ambient tapestries, Eat Your Friends reimagines the Hidden Shoal discography in new and beautiful ways, playing to all the strengths of the roster’s dizzying array of talent.
Includes remixes and covers by: Antonymes, Arc Lab, Glanko, Wayne Harriss, Liminal Drifter, Makee, Chloe March, Markus Mehr, Erik Nilsson, REW<<, Slow Dancing Society, Tin Manzano, Willem Gator, and Zealous Chang of music by: Arc Lab, Brother Earth, Cheekbone, City of Satellites, Medard Fischer, Gilded, Glanko & Daniel Bailey, Kryshe, Memorybell, Erik Nilsson, perth, Slow Dancing Society, Tangled Star, Umpire, and Zealous Chang.
Eat Your Friends is available now as a free download via Bandcamp and is also streamable via SoundCloud. Listen and then throw yourself into the wormhole as you explore the originals and more work by the remixers and cover artists. For all the filmmakers, games designers and others in need of engaging music, don’t forget that all tracks in our catalogue are available for licensing (film, tv, games, compilations etc).
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Hidden Shoal is 10!
Hidden Shoal is extremely excited to be celebrating its 10th birthday this month. It’s hard to believe that back in May 2006, Perth-based musicians Cam Merton, Stuart Medley and Malcolm Riddoch began Hidden Shoal Recordings as a means to put out releases by local artists. Tim Clarke, based in Melbourne, joined the team in 2007. Hidden Shoal has since gone on to become a much-loved independent label and publisher, releasing over 120 albums from a diverse range of international artists and licensing music from its catalogue across film, tv, web and compilation.Stay tuned for special anniversary announcements in the coming months!
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Hidden Shoal Turns Six!
Throughout the month of May 2012, Hidden Shoal Recordings is celebrating its sixth birthday. Later in the month will be the release of the latest free sampler album, Triangulating Nature, which compiles 12 singles released over the last 12 months. Other delicious surprises will be revealed in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more info.Since starting up in Perth, Western Australia in 2006, Hidden Shoal has developed an enviable roster of genre-defying global and local recording artists. With 40+ acts from 10+ different countries, ranging from British ambient artist Antonymes through to American musical experimentalist Todd Tobias and beyond, the committed team at Hidden Shoal continues to play an integral role in promoting exciting new independent music.
Come join us and keep an eye on the Hidden Shoal Store for lots of cool special birthday deals!
Continue reading →2006: HSR is Born!
As part of our 5th birthday celebrations, over the coming weeks we’ll be looking back at the history of Hidden Shoal, year by year, casting some light on artists and releases that may have been overlooked. For one week, all releases from the year covered will be available from the Hidden Shoal Store with a 50% discount. Flavoursome!Hidden Shoal Recordings began in Perth, Western Australia in May 2006. The motivation behind starting the label was to release music by Hidden Shoal’s very own Cam Merton (Glassacre), Stu Medley (Motor Eye) and Mal Riddoch (Enargeia). Friends Wayne Harriss, Chris Mason, Toby Richardson and Craig Hallsworth (Tangled Star) soon came on board, with the first swathe of Hidden Shoal releases dominated by Perth-based talent.
The first year of operation also saw the signing of our first international artists, Slow Dancing Society – who has since gone on to release four critically acclaimed albums– and Italian math-rockers Dilatazione.
HSR001: Wayne Harriss Aerospace
HSR002: My Majestic Star Ideas Are The Answer
HSR003: Motor Eye Motor Eye
HSR004: Chris Mason Up Down Up
HSR005: Glassacre Slow Attack EP
HSR006: Enargeia UFO: Stryker Force
HSR007: Toby Richardson Golden Days EP
HSR008: Various artists The Least Vestige of Land
HSR009: Enargeia Gulag! 25.9.98
HSR010: Slow Dancing Society The Sound Of Lights When Dim
HSR011: Dilatazione Too Emotional For Maths
HSR012: Tangled Star It’s Now or Later EPTwelve releases in the first eight months? We started as we meant to continue!
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Hidden Shoal Label Feature at Breakthru Radio
Check out the latest edition of the wonderful Inside The Label show at New York’s awesome Breakthru Radio (home of the mighty DJ Mojo!). The show features an hour of tracks selected from across the Hidden Shoal catalogue. Lurvly!
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'A Million Square Miles' Reviewed on Dwarf
Our West Australian Sampler ‘A Million Square Miles‘ gained the attention of ‘The Dwarf’ last week. Take a read of the full review here.Mukaizake – ‘The Yeah Conditioner’ Mukaizake – ‘The Yeah Conditioner’
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“A Million Square Miles” Compilation Album – Australian Release
Hidden Shoal Recordings is proud to announce the Australian CD release of compilation album A Million Square Miles: A sample of Western Australian music, following on from its initial US success. After more than three years of sharing excellent independent music far and wide, A Million Square Miles represents a key facet of the Hidden Shoal Recordings story, and is a beacon for the future of Western Australian music. Bringing together a pair of stunning tracks from each of eight WA-based artists on the Hidden Shoal roster, this sampler album is an essential listen whichever way you slice it.
There’s the serpentine indie-rock of Mukaizake and the crystalline instrumental pop of Apricot Rail; the raw intensity of Fall Electric and the shimmering dreampop of Glassacre; the hook-laden squall of Toby Richardson and the lush and subtle songcraft of My Majestic Star; the skewed melodicism of The Slow Beings and the wistful alt-country complexities of Tangled Star. A Million Square Miles isn’t just great Western Australian music – it’s great music, period. The album also includes the first tastes of upcoming releases by Mukaizake, My Majestic Star and Toby Richardson.
“This is the rare exhibition of musical aptitude that delights from start to finish, with nary a disappointment to be found … There’s no way to know for sure if Perth, Australia is indie rock’s next Seattle or Montreal, but Hidden Shoals’ impressive roster on A Million Square Miles is bound to shore up some buzz, and deservedly so: it’s an exhilarating listen from beginning to end.” – DOA
A Million Square Miles is now available on CD in Australia. The album is distributed in Australia through Hidden Shoal Distribution and internationally via n5Mailorder. A Million Square Miles is also available digitally through the Hidden Shoal Store and all good third-party digital music stores (iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, LaLa, Bandcamp, etc.). Head to the Hidden Shoal Store for all availability info.
Hidden Shoal has also made the album available as a free, embeddable streaming radio widget and Facebook Application. For more info check out the album’s project page.
Read a full press release here.
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"A Million Square Miles" reveiwed on Adequacy.net
Hidden Shoal’s WA compilation album, A Million Square Miles, has been showered with praise on the awesome review site adequacy.net. Check out this glowing review at adequacy. A Million Square Miles features selected tracks from eight of Hidden Shoal’s WA-based artists. Looking for “an exhilarating listen from beginning to end”?- check out the HSR store to get your paws on this great release.Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker Mukaizake – My Friend Flicker
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Hidden Shoal Free Label Sampler Volume 5
Hidden Shoal Recordings is pleased to announce the official release of compilation album Crushed and Reminded, the fifth installment in its free sampler album series. Whilst the keen eyed amongst you may have already noted that this has has been available for a few weeks now, we thought we’d allow some breathing space before making the official announcement (busy month!!!)Crushed and Reminded takes the listener on a multi-dimensional sonic rollercoaster ride, showcasing tracks from recent 2009 HSR releases. Moving from bitcrushed remixes through cinematic instrumental rock to deliciously mellow ambient electronica, Crushed and Reminded shines a new light across the breadth and depth of the Hidden Shoal landscape.
It includes stunning songs from 11 Hidden Shoal artists and bands: The Caribbean, HC-B, Sankt Otten, Hotels, Down Review, Tangled Star, Apricot Rail, Tarcutta, Sleeping Me, Elisa Luu and Jumpel. Dip in, then explore each artist’s album and EP releases to experience their full splendour.
“a gripping, adventurous and touching journey across their catalogue of ambient, shoegaze, post-rock and indie-rock releases. The perfect introduction for the artists and bands, or alternatively, the perfect sampler for those who cannot decide which of these fantastic bands to pay attention to at the moment” – Post Rock Community review of Limit of Maps, volume 3 in the free sampler album series.
Crushed and Reminded is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store, along with volumes 1 to 4.
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Reviews
'A Million Square Miles' – The Dwarf
Excerpt: “Turn the clock back a few years and most people were convinced there was something in the water in WA because of the sheer number of excellent acts who called that piece of Australia home. Fast forward to 2010 and it seems our short attention spans have been diverted elsewhere in the search of the source of the ‘next big thing’. A Million Square Miles is a compilation…. Drawing together 16 tracks from eight artists, it successfully navigates the folk, indie pop and rock genres….A Million Square Miles is a pleasing and mellow offering that is easy-on-the-ear and reaffirms the fact that there is something in the water out west.”
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"A Million Square Miles" – Adequacy.net
Excerpt: “This is the rare exhibition of musical aptitude that delights from start to finish, with nary a disappointment to be found. Being tagged by some as Australia’s answer to the British label 4AD, Hidden Shoal (HSR) does indeed specialize in a brand of music that places atmosphere, ambience, and texture high on the priority list. With an onslaught of reverb and delay effects that would put the Edge to shame, this album features eight acts that run the gamut from quirky playfulness (Toby Richardson) to hypnotic melodrama (My Majestic Star). Hidden Shoals’ impressive roster on A Million Square Miles is bound to shore up some buzz, and deservedly so: it’s an exhilarating listen from beginning to end.”
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Glassacre “Slow Attack” – Leonard's Lair
Excerpt – “I had the pleasure of downloading a review copy of a new EP called ‘Slow Attack’ by the Australian act Glassacre. Glassacre make a very unusual brand of electronic/shoegazing music that sounds to me like the outer space atmospheres of Avrocar crossed with the ambient rock of Engineers. There’s some hypnotic eerie vocals and some excellent unusual melodies on show which lead to a superb and original release. In my role of music reviewer, I get to listen to an awful lot of music but I sometimes feel a bit jaded by the similarity in sound to so many other acts. Glassacre are one of the special acts who sound immediately different.”
Continue reading →Glassacre 'September 16th' – Luna Kafe
Excerpt: “Glassacre play nocturnal pop, a mixture of indie (when 80s turned 90s) and electronica, as in shoegaze with more than a haze of guitars. Check their myspace site and the listed influences make sense. The whispering, whirling ‘September 16th’ is highly suggestive, and a song that grows with every new spin. ‘Sanctuary’ is a bit more trippy, tricky, quite introvert… Anyway, a cool single it is, and a promising preview from the full length to come.”
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Glassacre "Slow Attack" – Music Emissions
“The Slow Attack EP is one of the best tastes of good pop to come along this year. Layered, shimmering confections abound, but never sickly sweet. Glassacre demonstrate over these five tracks a command of the atmospheric; ‘Always Further Away’ and ‘Asleep in the Lake’ are the kind of tunes that evoke images of how great it is to feel alive, which is what the best pop on both sides of the Atlantic have always provided. Smart and whimsical, well-crafted and spontaneous. The single, ‘Swimming in Greece,’ tops that Pop Chart in the sky where talent counts. Like a dreamy Big Star, Glassacre’s Slow Attack is life-affirming music at its cheeky best. Here the tracks open doors to memory, reassurance and hope, delivered with comforting hooks and harmonies. Flea once said that there is nothing more serious than having fun; after listening to Glassacre, I would also add being reminded to be happy to that short list of things serious.”
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Glassacre “Slow Attack” – Luna Kafe
Excerpt – “Western Australia’s Glassacre, is all shimmer and surge……. the power of this music will creep up on you gradually, and before you know it the damn thing is on repeat play……The masterstroke, however, comes with “Tension Agreement”…….The tune sways beautifully, yet it’s difficult to put my finger on exactly what it is that I love about it so much. So simple, so effective. So addictive.”
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Artist Photos
Music Videos
No videos yet, sorry!
Licensing
Glassacre’s music is available for licensing (master & sync cleared) through Hidden Shoal. Please contact us with some basic details about your project and the track(s) you wish to use and we’ll be sure to get back to you straight away.