REVIEW: GILT - ‘In Windows, Through Mirrors’ EP
Florida’s post-hardcore group GILT released their debut LP, Ignore What’s Missing, last year & have since switched band member roles for their new impending era. Former GILT drummer, Ash Stixx, is now their designated lead vocalist. With such a dynamic shift in tone musically, comes a different artist perspective as well. In their latest EP, In Windows, Through Mirrors, we dive into a deeper, and heavier side to the group that we’ve ever seen or heard before.
In Windows, Through Mirrors includes two reworked tracks from their debut full-length. First track & leading single being “In Windows (Ignore What’s Missing),” with the original title verified in parentheses. This song builds on drawn-out guitar distortions & a refined dismal bass line as Stixx’s main vocals & harmonies enhance its overall ethos. “The song was originally the title track of our debut album, but after bringing our former drummer Ash Stixx up front for vocals, we realized how powerful their take on it was and how much the song had changed. Hansel Romero was the perfect producer to push Ash's vocal range but they also helped us get much heavier guitar tones and make the breakdown more devastating.” GILT manage to capture this haunting devastation in their latest music video for the track as well.
“Long Time Coming,” although is technically the only brand new track, still fits perfectly between the reworked ones. This song has a heavy “emo” structure with hollow guitar licks and a symphony of rage towards the end, with some heavenly harmonies accompanying it. “Some things can be carefully disassembled / Not everything has to fall apart.” Pulsating guitar feedback & an abrupt halt introduce us into the final track, “Through Mirrors (I Don’t Want You As A Mirror);” a spoken-word track with ferocious outbursts. With La Dispute gravitas, Stixx delivers each line with such raw intensity, that it innately becomes visceral to every listener. The wailing guitars make an appearance with every screaming chorus and carries us into the crescendo. The final echoing cries being: “It’s still growth if it’s growing apart.”
It’s evident that GILT’s shift in roles only enhanced the weight of their already-evocative discography. Throughout their music, they address internal battles such as mental health, gender dysphoria & body dysmorphia, all of which are often still stigmatized today. The band is constantly uplifting the LGBTQIA+ and marginalized communities with fundraisers and awareness. What’s better than a socially conscious & insanely talented band? Exactly, nothing.