As part of Brooklyn indie quartet
Lvl Up, Michael Caridi helped shape the band's sound, one which relied heavily on warm layers of distortion. When the band decided to call it a day in 2018, Caridi had a handful of songs left over he'd written for
Lvl Up albums that never materialized as well as some new songs without homes. Without wasting any time, he took up the banner
the Glow for his solo material and went to work on what would become debut album
Am I. Caridi's contributions to
Lvl Up were primary, so it's expected that
the Glow doesn't wander too far from his previous band's hopefully demolished guitar tones and searching lyrics. Caridi is even joined by
Lvl Up drummer Greg Rutkin throughout the entirety of
Am I, and he revisits "Orchard," one of the last songs the band issued before breaking up. While strongly familiar, there are lateral moves being made in terms of production and tone. Where
Lvl Up would bury synth countermelodies in crashing waves of distorted acoustic guitars and vocals,
the Glow fleshes out arrangements, bringing pianos, synths, strings, and other unexpected elements to the surface of the constantly rushing stream. Though album opener "Am I Good" finds Caridi's vocals saturated with fuzz, the song quickly explodes into powerful guitar pop, bashing through segments of soloing before several tracks of homely piano rise up out of the noise. On the springy "Beamer," acoustic guitars blend with Mellotron chords to deliver a nostalgic lyrical narrative before the arrangement sharpens around acoustic guitars and spare percussion. It's got the same infectious catchiness of some of Caridi's best moments with
Lvl Up but feels more internally constructed. Where his band seemed concerned with the sometimes harrowing experience of being alive,
the Glow feels more personal and invested in Caridi's internal world. "I Am Not Warm" and "Flaws" are brightly melodic indie rock tumbles through restless thoughts, while the synthy "Memories" closes the album with an unfinished sentiment possibly directed at the rest of
Lvl Up. The album ends with the lyrics "I really think that I'll miss you guys, but I'm learning to say -- " before the vocals cut out abruptly to the sound of a door closing in an echoey hallway.
Am I is a brilliant collection of brief and sparkling songs, not so much a first volume of Caridi's new identity as it is a quickly growing branch off of what came before it. ~ Fred Thomas