REVIEW: Glitter Etiquette – ‘Love In Shards’

In a musical landscape that often rewards polish over honesty, Glitter Etiquette have chosen to strip everything back to the emotional core and letting the cracks show. With their third studio album ‘Love In Shards’, the New York outfit step into a more refined yet deeply exposed chapter of their journey.

Having steadily carved out their place across previous releases, this new full-length finds them leaning into a rawer, guitar-led identity that recalls the golden haze of 90s alternative rock. There are clear echoes of that era’s Britpop romanticism and shoegaze density, but Glitter Etiquette never fall into imitation. Instead, they reshape those influences into something that pulses with urgency and emotional weight.

From the outset, ‘Love In Shards’ feels heavier in atmosphere. The instrumentation is given space to breathe, allowing each chord to resonate, while the vocals cut through with an almost diaristic clarity. It’s a bold shift away from the more layered textures of their earlier work, placing storytelling front and centre in a way that feels both deliberate and deeply affecting.

At the heart of the album lies a fragile but persistent sense of resilience. These are songs born from fractured relationships and the quiet aftermath that follows. The standout closing piece ‘When I Saw You Sunday’ captures this with striking precision. Drifting through a rain-soaked emotional landscape, it documents the haunting familiarity of lost love, where every passing reflection feels like a ghost of what once was. It’s easily one of the most poignant offerings the band have delivered to date.

But what makes this record truly memorable is its refusal to settle in despair. Beneath the melancholy, there’s a sense that even in the most disorienting emotional wreckage, there is still a path forward. And that tension between vulnerability and defiance gives ‘Love In Shards’ its identity, transforming it from a breakup record into something far more expansive.

In embracing a more minimal and exposed sound, Glitter Etiquette have unlocked a new dimension to their artistry. This is a band actively redefining their place within the modern alternative scene, emerging from the noise with something that feels both timeless and quietly triumphant.