Glenn Joseph Beats’ new EP Space Heartbreak takes listeners on a mesmerising, all‑enveloping journey through the stars, allowing them to dive into a drifting, glowing, quietly personal universe.
By Katie Stewart
The first track, You And Beyond The Stars, immediately plunges into a dreamlike, velvety, almost catastrophic-in-its-encompassment, pool of sound. Punchy, steady drumbeats and soulful synthesisers seem to transcend dimensions.
The lyrics are dreamy and unpretentiously wax‑lyrical, delivered with clarity, elegance, and sincerity. Conjuring hues of purple and deep blue, scattered with drops of light, it’s unavoidably visual. Misty and out‑of‑body, this first track is a serotonin‑laced love song, affixing your eyes with rose‑tinted glasses that remain stuck long after listening.
Signs follows with a masterful blend of R&B and pop. Its ‘80s‑style introduction and cascading electric keys fittingly flow from the galactic mood of the first track but lean further into a techno‑edged sound. Smooth, electronically enhanced vocals deliver simple but comforting lyrics about embracing love as an instinct, feeling it in your gut, and following your heart.
Track 3, Light Between Us, feels like it could be a second chapter to the opener, but has its own distinct quality. Entrancing, delicate vocals flow and ebb alongside intriguing and intricate taps and raps of percussion. Luminescent guitar beads and glistening, flickery electronic effects wrap around the track, flowing from one ear to the next in a surround‑soundscape. It’s impressive how immersive Space Heartbreak’s production is, especially given the technical, futuristic, out‑of‑this-world sounds and themes it traverses.
Telepathic Love introduces a new vocal; light, breezy, rich, nostalgically crisp, and glossy, gliding over a laid‑back melody with understated swagger. The use of different singers throughout the EP gives it a conversation-like quality, or even a character‑driven story arc. Listening to it as a whole becomes a narrative experience, exploring different angles of one cohesive unit through a collection of voices – all of which feel grounded in passion and rapture.
The Wanderer is a refreshing exploration of the genre: delightfully poppy, innocent, and enhanced by cutesy non‑lexical vocables – a fun nod to scat elements from classic jazz and blues, arguable precursors to modern R&B. Energetic hi‑hats and textured synths build, then settle, into a tantalising, groovy, lighter‑than‑air chorus, with twinkly celeste sounds that add to the EP’s signature intergalactic energy.
Broken Entity stands out for its catchy hook – “this human love is all I knew” – and rhythmic, ear‑wormy note arrangements that hit in all the right places. It’s hard to believe this is Glenn Joseph Beats’ first EP drop. Every track is assertively stylish, a clear creative vision brought to life. Playful producer tags stamp each song with deservedly proud ownership.
The final track Right Away opens more soulfully, notes floating along at a slower pace, with layered, angelic harmonies that blend into an elegant, instrumental chorus of voices. Capturing a romantic, vulnerable mood, anchored by slack, bassy, low‑tension tom‑tom fills, it’s a cool‑down track that finishes the EP with skilful musical authority and grace.
Space Heartbreak is both intimate and expansive; each track is a star in a musical constellation representing love, connection, and tacit emotion. It’s out now, and you can give it a listen below.
