Disappear with the flawless shoegaze of Glazyhaze
Italian shoegazers Glazyhaze have made one of the best debut albums of 2023 - ten songs full of warm moodiness with rock and pop flair in all the right places. It kinda feels like a good friend flinging their arm around your shoulder just when you need it.
Fresh off a festival show with Film School and MØAA and before a string of European shows scheduled to start in late October 2023, vocalist and guitarist of Glazyhaze Irene Moretuzzo spoke to me on behalf of the band. Irene is thoughtful and positive, highlighting the upside of things and giving credit where she thinks respect is due. Read on for more about the concept behind their album Just Fade Away, being young and learning from mistakes, who the band admires and their plans for new music.
What is the shoegaze scene like in your country?
There are many bands and artists, but we are very scattered around Italy, so we feel that the community, while large and wide, is not very united.
How do you connect to an international audience and what’s been most important for growing your audience?
It is difficult to target an international audience because unfortunately Italy is not very well known for its rock culture. What we have always tried to do is to work on communication through careful selection of content so that it is clear and appealing to a foreign audience as well as an Italian one.
What about Måneskin?
Måneskin is quite an exception considering they are Italian; there are very few bands from our country that manage to be so successful abroad! I have the feeling that they are often not taken seriously enough just because they are a bit mainstream, but honestly from our side there is a lot of respect towards them, almost pride. In the end, they are Italian like us and they are making it big! I have the feeling that since they went viral more kids started wanting to have bands. That was a tradition that was slowly dying out in Italy, replaced by producers and rappers/trappers, which are more popular here at the moment. So in conclusion, we are very happy with the success they are having, they absolutely deserve it!
Who are the people in Glazyhaze and which instruments do they play?
The people in the band are: Irene, who sings and plays guitar, Lorenzo who plays lead guitar, Seva who plays bass and does backing vocals, and Francesco who plays drums.
What types of things or people influence your song writing and sound?
We've all had different musical paths and interests and this brings different influences at the time of writing but our inspirations come mainly from shoegaze and dream pop bands, both historical and more recent. If I had to name one project in particular that we were all passionate about and inspired by, it would be DIIV, whom we respect and admire so much.
Fuzz Club/Slimer has noted this about your album:
“Their debut album ‘Just Fade Away’ out on May 19, 2023 is an invitation to let go and to be able to recognize, accept and express one’s feelings within a society which teaches to repress them by marking them as flaws.”
Can you say something more about the goal of the album and songs?
For us, music should be a light-hearted thing without necessarily having too many preconceived notions. This statement is simply an invitation to pay attention to one's feelings, fantasies and desires in a society that goes so fast that so many times it makes us feel weighed down and does not leave us time to process what we feel. So Just Fade Away represents the moment in which you're able to disappear, recovering sensitivity and contact with oneself and being able to get that sense of getting lost in the imagination that is too often lacking.
How do you explain your music to someone not familiar with shoegaze?
In explaining the shoegaze genre we say how much importance is placed on sounds and instrumentals that aim to create dreamy and ethereal atmospheres. It is also important for us to reiterate the fact that vocals are not always in the foreground, because it is something that is seen as a flaw for those who are not familiar with the genre.
Are there challenges to being young and/or female in music? If yes, how do you approach these challenges?
Being young has meant having to learn how to do everything and along the way making mistakes, but we are learning a lot from them. However, we have had the support of more experienced people, and thanks to them we have always received useful advice that has helped us a lot and for which we are very grateful. Being female has not made my path more difficult, and fortunately it has never challenged my abilities as a musician. So far I have always felt very respected both by the band and by others. Indeed, I would even say that the presence of gender, nationality and age variety within the band is something that enriches our project.
What does the rest of 2023 look like for the band? And 2024? Any plans for new songs, live shows or releases?
As for this year, we have planned a couple of gigs in November in Germany and Austria. Then we will complete and take care of the arrangements for the new album, which we very much hope to release in 2024! The new songs are almost done, so they should be ready soon! We hope to see you all at our concerts! You can find our music and concert schedules on social media [IG and FB] and our merch on Bandcamp!
Thank you to Irene and the rest of the band - best of luck for the upcoming shows and can't wait to hear what's next in 2024! You can hear Glazyhaze in episode 9 of _____ mood., in good company with fellow shoegazers Eloise Chamber and Rippedd.