June LaLonde – “Glitter Sands”

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“Glitter Sands” is a stylish synth-pop track from June LaLonde, off her new self-titled album. The Minneapolis-based artist incorporates playful, chiptune-friendly synth tones amidst a bouncy bass line and melodic vocals. Guitar additions past the three-minute mark add wonderfully to the suave, driving feel. The title-referencing refrain plays infectiously throughout, adorned by enjoyably smatterings of synths and guitars. “Glitter Sands” is among several highlights across the album.

The artist elaborates more on “Glitter Sands” below:

“It’s a story about a sailor leaving her love behind to find a treasure but getting consumed by the journey. I wanted to hear what it might sound like if David Byrne featured on a Gorrilaz track. The guitar part in the final half and the effects put in to help give it a watery feel and later more of a drowning vibe were extremely fun to perform and patch in.”

“The big theme here for me is about relentlessly pursuing something that ends up destroying you, in the end – but with a bassline you can groove to. It’s about change, it’s about moving forward, it’s about transitioning. I want to share my music with people, and there’s similar risks there – in marketing yourself, pushing your art as a product, in being publically trans in this space, and so on. But I want to embrace that fearlessly, openly and honestly. I sing with the voice that I was given for that reason. The guitar section at the end is probably my favorite part of the track – getting that solo down smooth with the watery delay effects was really satisfying. I’m really happy with the sunny vibe of the track, using shimmery synths and a disco-inspired beat to have the bass bounce around on, contrasting with the theme.”

“Glitter Sands” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of April 2021’ Spotify playlist.

Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

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