glowfriends

Mark and April are brother and sister, Mark is married to Holly, and JW is married to Jenn. We're all one big happy family. Our new album, To Have & To Hold, is available now at jamrecordings.com, raphsody, and i-tunes.



RECOIL---BEST LOCAL ALBUM OF 2009



"Few bands get to coin their own genre. Fewer can include their hometown in it. For glowfriends, calling their take on dreamy, occasionally driving indie-pop "Kalamashoegaze" fits as perfectly as a warm embrace. Preceding the third year of their stellar summer annual Kalamashoegazer Festival, the quintet's fourth full-length came out well-crafted with the mesmerizing melodies of brother and sister lead vocalists April and Mark Andrew Morris enchanting listeners as they explored every aspect of love."
THE TICKET



"Shimmering guitars and hushed yet angelic vocals intertwine to envelope the listener not just in the music but the entire glowfriends world. The music is so intense and personal I'm forced to believe that the relationship created on this record is not between two fictional characters but between the band and the listener. From the majesty of discovering the music to the final notes when we know that it all must come to pass, "To have & To Hold" takes us in and makes us one with the band."



THE FREE PRESS (KINSTIN, NC)



"'To Have and To Hold' is a refreshing take on the three-minute pop song. On the album's first single, "Miraculous," April Morris proves herself to be a nuanced vocalist in the tradition of Suzanne Vega and Regina Spektor. Her sweet but never syrupy voice floats over a perfect piece of ensemble playing that features the tasteful playing of guitarist Mark Morris and vibraphonist Jenn Hendrix. Bassist Holly Morris and drummer J.W. Hendrix lay down a groove on "Every Song Comes Untied" that recalls Yo La Tengo's best lazy strolls through a pop groove, while "Scared of Love" is the best song The Cure never wrote. With "To Have and To Hold," the Glowfriends members have fused the soaring choruses of Radiohead and U2 with the dreamy nature of the Beach Boys' "Smile." There are no flashy solos or berserk changes in style or tempo, just exquisite playing from a very talented band.
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TWIST & SHAKE



"Can music get any more beautiful than this? Radiating on and on with lush textures, stirring melodies and breathtaking vocals, "To Have & To Hold" swells with celestial vibes. Nicking a cue from the shoegazing surrealism of bands like Ride, Jupiter Sun and My Bloody Valentine, then injecting their own special sauce into the casserole, Glowfriends boast a sound that's equal parts vintage and contemporary, resulting in the type of songs that are really timeless .hypnotic and haunting, "To Have & To Hold" possesses the ability to transport the listener into another dimension. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous."



SAN DIEGO TROUBADOR
"Favorable comparisons have already been made to Nick Drake and the wonderful Colin Blunstone…it's possible to hear the influences of Love (Forever Changes era), Nico, and French chanteuse Francoise Hardy…"



Western Herald
"From start to finish the album kept me interested. I was waiting for what the next line would be, much like I am when I first listen to an Elliott Smith or a Pedro the Lion record."
AMPLIFIER
"This is alt-pop for a new generation"
THE BIG TAKE-OVER
"Acoustic based with haunting brother-sister harmonies, glowfriends' music washes over you like fog creeping in from the harbor"
GOLDMINE
".these songs are soothing with adventurous chords, tasteful, jangly guitar work and uncluttered arrangements."