East-London rapper and producer John Glacier confronts the duality of human existence on her debut studio album Like A Ribbon. Split into three sections, each representing the fluid, evolving nature of a ribbon unfurling, the album comprises tracks drawn from a series of EPs, revealing a deeper impact in the context of a larger project, while carving out a distinctive niche at the intersection of pop and avant-garde sounds.
The manipulation of glitchy pastoralism and new-age samples realise the constant tension of paradoxical living in the digital age: like a feedback loop between opposing forces – the respite of nature and the chaos of urban life; the natural, tangible world with the digital. The pairing of elemental imagery with contemporary themes interprets the wonder of nature disrupted by the stream of digital overwhelm: “This is my space, why they wanna friend me? In the garden, full of snakes and envy,” she laments, with equanimity, on ‘Emotions’.
On ‘Found’, she effectively conveys renewal with the line “new green grass where the grass never knew,” while the King Krule-coded ‘Money Shows’ ends with a vivid image of seasonal regeneration. Interspersed with arrhythmic, fragmented beats, it’s the sound of a nervous system attempting to relax, only to be constantly interrupted by endless notifications – a type of virtual dissonance we’ve become accustomed to, mediated through the screens in our hands.
Minimalistic but not self-effacing, Glacier’s music functions as fuzzy transmissions from an alternate dimension, constructed from deadpan, diaristic confessions, unconventional production and a deliberate aversion to structure. The tracks shift fluidly between genres, like ephemeral memories detached from linear time. Her lyrics transpire like personal mantras of self-reflection, delivered via faintly sketched daydreams rather than fully formed observations, evoking the stream of conscious nonchalance of Dean Blunt with the radically unbothered veracity of early M.I.A.
Like A Ribbon is a stylish hybrid of UK drill, future garage, grime and atmospheric art pop that counters the frantic bustle of city life as a working musician with nature’s tranquil repose. Produced by Kwes Darko, Flume and Evilgiane, the production translates to something akin to Wu-Tang Klan’s 36 Chambers via DJ Shadow. John Glacier sits firmly at the helm, shifting the mood around her with each note and nuance, yielding a quiet magnetism throughout. There are moments when you might hope she wakes up from this reverie; her cool composure feels very familiar in the context of recent rap trends. But the magic resides in Glacier’s allegorical flow, occasionally sliding into focus but never threatening to break into song.
