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Feb 08, 2022 By Caleb Campbell

Glassio is the moniker of New York-based electronica singer, songwriter, and producer Sam R. Since debuting in 2016, Sam R. has been fusing disparate elements from across the worlds of electronica, dance music, and indie pop, crafting his own combination of steadfast melodic sensibilities, layered production, and powerful storytelling. He released his long-awaited debut, For The Very Last Time in 2020, and later this year he’s set to share his upcoming sophomore album, See You Shine. Today he’s shared his latest single, “Dynamite,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

“Dynamites” wonderfully encapsulates Glassio’s melding of electronic music with organic singer/songwriter tropes. The atmospheric production and steady electronic beat lend the track an air of sprawling expansive drama, heightened by a hook-filled instrumental and a gorgeous string-backed climax. The track feels bright and wistful, yet with an underlying sense of yearning melancholy that the lyrics bring to the fore. Glassio explores a sense of deep loneliness, confessing, “I’m never gonna love someone else / You’re never gonna know just what I mean / I hope that I could find someone else / I take a look at my screen / Dynamites burning my dreams / Here comes the kerosene.”

The lyrics hit even more deeply given their heart-breaking connection to a very recent loss for Glasio. As he explains, “I wrote the song pretty quickly with some very roughly-put-together lyrics, and knew immediately that I wanted it to tap into a feeling of loneliness, and a longing to be in touch with someone you are no longer able to see. Little did I know that in just a few short weeks id be dealing with the hardest loss of my life: losing my father and best friend to COVID pneumonia. There were only two songs on the album that he didn’t hear before he passed, and this was one of them. The song slowly morphed more and more into a track about having an imaginary conversation with someone who is no longer with you, and your knowledge of their spirit and character being there to help you through things. It’s a very spiritual song to me, and helped me grieve that loss.”

Check out the song below. Glassio’s sophomore album, See You Shine, is due out later this year.