Gliss

Gliss is a Los Angeles-based indie rock and shoegaze group from the United States. The band also works across indie, alternative rock and alternative, and is described in its own releases and touring history as a Danish/American act with a Scandinavian texture in its sound.

Line-up and base

The group consists of Victoria Cecilia and Martin Klingman. It divides its time between Los Angeles, Berlin and Copenhagen, and its recordings are shaped by both members’ work as multi-instrumentalists. Cecilia also takes lead vocals on later material.

Sound and recordings

Gliss makes art-pop and dream-pop-inflected music with electronic elements, heavy synths and beat-driven arrangements. Its releases include Love the Virgins, Kick in Your Heart, Blue Sky, Rugby Road, Devoted & Imploded, Hunting, Langsom Dans, Mirrored, Pale Reflections and Strange Heaven. The 12-track album Langsom Dans marks a shift towards a darker sound while keeping pop structure, and it is associated with comparisons to artists such as Beach House, Crystal Castles, Lower Dens, The xx, Portishead and Depeche Mode.

Production and collaborators

The band is principally known for producing and mixing its own music. It also works with Gareth Jones on mixing; he is known for work with Nick Cave, Depeche Mode and These New Puritans. Langsom Dans is mixed by Michael Patterson, whose credits include Beck, Ladytron and The Social Network, and mastered by Henrik Jonsson, who has worked with Fever Ray, Lykki Li and Peter Bjorn & John.

Touring and release history

Gliss tours with acts including The Horrors, The Raveonettes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Glasvegas and Editors, and it also performs for the royal family of Denmark. Its recordings appear through labels including Kraftwööd Musik Fabrik, Modern Outsider and WEA. The 2015 single Mirrored is issued through Kraftwööd Musik Fabrik, while Langsom Dans is released through Modern Outsider. Other releases include the album Love the Virgins, issued in the UK and Europe in 2009, and the 2018 album Strange Heaven.