Alt-pop duo counterglow make a breathtaking entrance with echoes of self, a debut album that feels like stepping into a vividly imagined dream. Lauren Goodley’s airy, echoing vocals float effortlessly above Jonas Grell’s lush, genre-blurring production, creating a sound that’s at once intimate and expansive. From the opening cinematic tones of ‘echoes’ to the groovy futurism of ‘soon’, the album invites listeners into a universe where emotion, atmosphere, and imagination collide.
What sets echoes of self apart is its combination of emotional honesty and sonic sophistication. Tracks like ‘grow’ retain the raw vocal take from the original demo, a bold choice that captures a fleeting, vulnerable moment in time. Meanwhile, ‘control’ and ‘new car’ exemplify the duo’s talent for blending dreamy synth textures with jazzy grooves, producing moments that are both reflective and irresistibly infectious. The album is an exploration of early adulthood, the anxiety, overthinking, love, and self-discovery that define it, yet it never feels heavy, handed.
counterglow’s influences are evident, nodding to Tame Impala, Beach House, and Cleo Sol, but the album never feels derivative. Instead, it’s a fully realized vision of a sound that’s uniquely their own: ethereal, groovy, and emotionally resonant. The production is textured and immersive, allowing listeners to lose themselves in layers of shimmering synths, atmospheric beats, and soft, melodic vocals that linger long after the final note.
counterglow is proving that they’re not just collaborators, they’re a fully formed artistic entity, capable of crafting music that resonates both emotionally and sonically. This is an album to immerse yourself in, again and again, discovering new textures and moments with each listen.