Glass Dolls, the fully independent project of Étienne Zebell Grenier from Montreal, Québec, gave us the opportunity to review his debut EP, titled “EP” and meant to precede a later LP. Grenier recorded the entirety of this EP by himself after several years of refining his sound to his liking; the “special thanks” for this collection goes out to Vuke, Kelly, Eric, Misery, and Connor. This, along with
the general theme of disillusionment and a yearning for the years gone by, show the sentiment spilling from the very seams of this EP.
Heavy distortion and reverb end up being the signature sound of Glass Dolls, as evidenced by their first track, “Simple Times”. This is paired with a baritone voice that switches between melodic singing and spoken word in a manner similar to the performative style of David Byrne’s work in Talking Heads. Electric guitar and vinyl scratches cut through dusty filtering as Grenier’s voice remains clear for each verse, yet phases and warps for each repeat of the track’s nostalgic, longing chorus:
“Take me back to the simple times/when the good was great and the bad was fine/the grass ain’t greener on the other side/after you grow up you work until you die”
The lines following change over the duration of the song, are likely representative of how the carefree bliss of youth slips further and further from our protagonist’s grasp with each new mundanity of life brought down upon them.
“Take me back to the simple times/when we sat around all day just to watch the sun shine/the clock tick-tocked while the clouds rolled by/I could take your hand and you could take mine” “Butterscotch and goldfish in the sky/cracker jacks, thinly veiled lies/ice cream trucks and bicycle rides/I could take your hand but would you take mine?”
It is clear our opening track is a fragmented display of grief for lost innocence, with a whirling, dreamlike sound and a clear sense of heartbreak and dejection in our lead vocalist. The final line of “Simple Times” then becomes the thesis for the remainder of the EP:
“Rose-tinted glasses really make the sun shine/when I’m sitting all alone trying to pass the time”
In fact, put a pin in this lyric, and we’ll return to it for the final track. Our next track, “Notion”, makes use of synths for a brighter, more upbeat backing track to pair with the low voice of our vocalist suddenly switching off to rap in lieu of singing or spoken word. This demonstrates a sense of urgency, likely from the hinted confusion in lyrics that search for something, Though the singer is uncertain of just what that “something” even is.
“Undiscerned/a feeling hangs over your every move/(an errant thought/an air subsumed)/(the chill of a breeze/the presence of a stare)/something out there/somewhere out there/somewhere”
The themes of entry into adulthood carry over from “Simple Times”‘s nostalgic longing into “Notion”‘s frenzied search for what I believe to be purpose. In my experience, the realization that one can never return to the innocence of their pleasant childhood memories, should one be so lucky as to have them, is an epiphany that causes a spiral of grief and panic. All the time spent in grief may have very well been at the cost of your own means of survival, after all, but once a means to merely survive is established, how can one go from merely surviving to instead living? The first step most of us intuitively know is to find a purpose; if we find a reason to live, then surely living for ourselves will come as a matter of course at the end of this pursuit… Right?
Track three, “Eyes Through the Haze”, begins with a breakneck drum line over a subdued bass. Grenier chooses to sing on this track, and his lyrics speak to a new want: A means to numb the pain, whether through depersonalization (“don’t want to be in control/wanna watch myself from afar/as a fly on the wall as a piece of glass”), or through alcoholism, as a majority of the lyrics reference. I don’t believe out-of-body experiences are common during intoxication, I won’t discount that others may just experience a different drunkenness to the shedding of inhibitions I’m aware of. The track ends rather abruptly after the conclusion of the second verse; the track itself is quite short, though I want to believe this sudden cut-off is meant to invoke one such drunken night of loneliness being cut off by a loss of consciousness. Perhaps our protagonist got just what he wished for, for better or worse, and for just as long as he can snore that deep-seeded pain away.
The fourth track, “Iris Maze”, starts off far slower than the previous two, making use of the haze characteristic of Grenier’s sound to give us something befitting a slow walk down a foggy, smoke-laden concrete jungle via dragging drums and guitar. Grenier’s lyrics don’t deviate much from this picture he’s painted, though the words do add a little context and mystery:
“You were watching me/I was watching you/it’s easy to see/eyes dancing around/I found myself lost/lost in your eyes”
What elevates this track to my favorite of the EP is the appearance of the theremin, given a solo after the first verse and chorus. It’s only a brief solo, but it’s ever so charming to encounter an unconventional instrument making an appearance where I don’t expect it. A keyboard helps carry the song to a sudden pause, though one short enough to effortlessly carry us through to the next track, “The Crane”.
This song, similar to the last, gives us the backdrop of the dismal city. Long behind us are any memories of green summertime, instead replaced with a dull metallic grayscale. For each verse, the guitar and bass in this track keep an upbeat vibe similar to what one might hear in a commercial running on a display wall of televisions in a store; this shifts when we come to the focal point of the song, however, and Grenier paints a striking portrait in words.
“that night I snuck up/to the top of the crane/I laid my head down/on the cold metal frame/In that moment/I could have been anyone”
Unfinished construction, broken glass, and homes falling apart may plague adult life, yet quiet and meaningful moments of introspection can be found anywhere one may seek them. The visual of a man at the end of his rope climbing a great steel structure just to sit at the highest point and rest his weary head is one I feel I’ll be holding on to for the next few days. Though the guitar and bass return to that idle tune as the song comes to an end, Grenier’s voice begins to lose enthusiasm. Who could blame him, however, when he looks back down on the world he must return to?
Here, we return in spirit to the first track of “EP” with the final track, “Rose Tinted Sunset” (an invocation of the second-to-last line of “Simple Times”). Our protagonist’s behavior is starting to catch up with him in terms of his relationships; a twanging guitar and subtle drums underline lyrics that show not only an embitterment with the world but with someone he claims to love most:
“It’s two weeks tomorrow/A day and a month in two weeks/Don’t roll your eyes/Blink twice and it all just rolls by
(…)
Keep your head up high/there are better days ahead/God, shut the fuck up/It’s okay to say we are all fucked
You know how much I love you?/I love you despite everything/Were you lying to me? Or were you lying to yourself?” In time, the sunny optimism of childhood love starts to shrink in the truly cold light of day. The singer begins to doubt the veracity of his relationships. The chorus (“do you wanna make me out as a monster?” especially) hearkens to something likely heard by those who have gotten into heated arguments with their significant other: “Oh, now I’m the bad guy?”. None of us truly want to be the one to utter this, especially not when the truth of the situation reveals that we were, in fact, a monster. Yet, when left with seemingly no choice but nihilism, one may no longer even see a point in maintaining their close personal relationships; in fact, that behavior alone is often considered a hallmark sign of a severe mental health crisis. When promising to deliver a collection of songs addressing the loss of innocence when transitioning from youth to adulthood, Etienne Zebell Grenier doesn’t fail to deliver with Glass Dolls’ “EP”. I recommend looking into “EP”, available on both digital and physical release, and keeping an eye wide open for the LP promised to follow; for those who feel no desire but to allow their grief over blissful ignorance lost reverberate out from the soul into the echoing, nostalgic sound Glass Dolls embodies, both projects are sure to be just what you need.
Written by Alexei Lee
