The Gloria Record Explained

The Gloria Record
Origin:Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genre:Emo, indie rock
Years Active:1997 - 2004
Label:Crank!, Arena Rock, Big Scary Monsters
Associated Acts:The Glass Family, Mineral, Zookeeper
Past Members:Chris Simpson
Jeremy Gomez
Brian Hubbard
Ben Houtman
Brian Malone
Matt Hammon
Jeremy Tappero

The Gloria Record was an American emo band from Austin, Texas, a side-project of former Mineral vocalist Chris Simpson and bassist Jeremy Gomez. The group was formed it in 1997, together with guitarist Brian Hubbard and drummer Matt Hammon. They released two EPs through Crank! A Record Company, a self-titled EP (1999) and A Lull in Traffic (2000), before issuing their debut album Start Here through Arena Rock Recording Company in 2002. While working on its follow-up, the group disbanded in May 2004.

History

After disbanding Mineral in 1997, frontman Chris Simpson and bassist Jeremy Gomez formed a new band. Guitarist Brian Hubbard and drummer Matt Hammon were brought into the fold sometime after.[1] Hammon and Simpson were in a bar when the former asked "[W]hen are we going to get some songs together and do the Gloria record?" Instead of simply going with Gloria, Simpson opted for the Gloria Record as he felt it was a better name and less likely to confuse them with a Latin-American singer of the same name. A friend of the band's was in contact with Crank! A Record Company founder Jeff Matlow, who asked him if any new artists needed a label. When he got the band's 7" single, he called and offered to work with them.[2] The self-titled EP was released on Crank! in November 1998.[3] It was met with favorable reviews;[4] the release was viewed as a continuation of Mineral, and drew comparisons to Sunny Day Real Estate and Radiohead.[5] Later that year, Ben Houtman joined the group on piano/organ. Various US tours followed, and in 1999, Brian Malone replaced Hammon on drums.[1]

Another EP, A Lull in Traffic, was released on Crank! in May 2000.[6] It received favorable reviews,[7] and saw the band toy with Pink Floyd-esque experimentation, earning a comparison to Radiohead.[8] They released their debut studio album, Start Here in April 2002 through the Arena Rock Recording Co. label.[9] It was recorded over many months in 2000-2001, and produced by Mike Mogis) at his Presto recording studio in Lincoln, Nebraska. It received generally favorable reviews;[10] it saw the group moved away from their emo roots into an indie rock sound.[11] It incorporated influences from U2 and R.E.M.[12] and drew comparisons to How It Feels to Be Something On (1998) by Sunny Day Real Estate.[13] Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan wrote that the album "seamlessly fus[es] elements of prog, psych, and baroque pop and mixing synthetic sounds with acoustic ones in a way that was totally modern".[14] On May 26, 2004, the Gloria Record announced they would be breaking up. They had been working on their second album since July 2003, however, the sessions progressed slowly.[15] Gomez and Hubbard went on to perform with Austin's The Glass Family and Chris Simpson pursuing solo projects under the name Zookeeper. UK label Big Scary Monsters released a 20th anniversary reissue of A Lull in Traffic in July 2020.[16]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

TitleDetails
The Gloria Record EP
  • Released: November 10, 1998
  • Label: Crank!
  • Format: CD, DL, 12" vinyl
A Lull in Traffic
  • Released: May 16, 2000
  • Label: Crank!
  • Format: CD, DL, 12" vinyl

Singles

Other appearances

Related projects

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Gloria Record Biography & History. AllMusic. Ankeny, Jason. August 16, 2020.
  2. Web site: The Gloria Record Interview. Ink 19. Feldmar, Marcel. March 29, 1999. August 17, 2020.
  3. Web site: The Gloria Record [EP] - The Gloria Record Release Info]. AllMusic. August 16, 2020.
  4. Favorable reviews for The Gloria Record
    • Sciarretto. Amy. Reviews. CMJ New Music Report. March 1, 1999. 57. 607. 0890-0795.
    • Web site: Quickies. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214035659/http://www.impactpress.com/articles/aprmay99/musicr4599.html. Impact Press. April–May 1999. February 14, 2019. October 20, 2021.
  5. Web site: Gloria Record, The - The Gloria Record CD. https://web.archive.org/web/20200817075251/https://www.ox-fanzine.de/review/gloria-record-the-the-gloria-record-cd-6237. Ox-Fanzine. Salmutter, Elmar. 1999. August 17, 2020. August 17, 2020. DE.
  6. Web site: A Lull in Traffic - The Gloria Record Release Info. AllMusic. August 16, 2020.
  7. Favorable reviews for A Lull in Traffic:
  8. Web site: Gloria Record A Lull in Traffic. https://web.archive.org/web/20200817075330/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gloria_record-lull_in_traffic. Exclaim!. Green, Stuart. November 1, 2000. August 17, 2020. August 17, 2020.
  9. Web site: Start Here - The Gloria Record Release Info. AllMusic. August 16, 2020.
  10. Favorable reviews for Start Here:
    • Web site: Start Here - The Gloria Record Songs, Reviews, Credits. AllMusic. Morris, Kurt. August 17, 2020.
    • Web site: The Gloria Record Record Review. The Austin Chronicle. Chamy, Michael. April 26, 2002. August 17, 2020.
    • Web site: The Gloria Record, "Start Here". Brainwashed. Devlin, Rob. October 26, 2002. August 17, 2020.
    • Sciarretto. Amy. Reviews. CMJ New Music Report. April 8, 2002. 71. 757. 0890-0795.
    • Web site: Gloria Record Start Here. https://web.archive.org/web/20200817075618/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gloria_record-start_here. Exclaim!. Bolton, Rob. April 1, 2002. August 17, 2020. August 17, 2020.
    • Web site: The Gloria Record: Start Here. PopMatters. Shoback, Douglas. September 24, 2002. August 17, 2020.
    • Web site: CD Reviews. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214060718/http://www.impactpress.com/articles/aprmay02/musicr4502.html. Impact Press. April–May 2002. February 14, 2019. October 20, 2021.
    • Web site: The Gloria Record – Start Here. https://web.archive.org/web/20210227175601/https://soundthesirens.com/the-gloria-record-start-here/. Soundthesirens. Ho, Billy. June 15, 2002. February 27, 2021. December 21, 2021. live.

    Unfavorable reviews:

  11. Web site: The Gloria Record: Start Here. PopMatters. Shoback, Douglas. September 24, 2002. August 17, 2020.
  12. Web site: Gloria Record Start Here. https://web.archive.org/web/20200817075618/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/gloria_record-start_here. Exclaim!. Bolton, Rob. April 1, 2002. August 17, 2020. August 17, 2020.
  13. Web site: The Gloria Record Record Review. The Austin Chronicle. Chamy, Michael. April 26, 2002. August 17, 2020.
  14. Web site: 35 Best Emo & Post-Hardcore Albums of 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20220810135900/https://www.brooklynvegan.com/35-best-emo-post-hardcore-albums-of-2002/. BrooklynVegan. Sacher, Andrew. August 10, 2022. August 10, 2022. August 10, 2022.
  15. Web site: The Gloria Record disbands. Punknews.org. Heisel, Scott. May 26, 2004. August 17, 2020.
  16. Web site: A Lull in Traffic - 20th Anniversary Edition The Gloria Record Big Scary Monsters. Bandcamp. August 17, 2020.

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