We see through Rilo Wye in debut single “Glass”.

I’m a sucker for 70s-era studio production— that feel-good simplicity, the natural shimmer of
real instruments and analog gear.” says L.A.-Based artist Riley Sieverts, AKA “Rilo Wye” whose
debut single is ours to listen to today on WFNM.

Raised in Honolulu, Sieverts grew up immersed in surfer culture, listening to reggae and
Surfer/punk music, no doubt living a kind of idyllic beach-bum guru lifestyle where he no doubt
learned to appreciate the finer details of a laid back atmosphere and the zen-like wisdom that -I
can personally assure you- comes from gazing at the sunset bouncing off the ocean on a
regular basis.

“Glass” is indeed a shimmering watery mirror of analog charm, not necessarily from the 70s
though, as the track is entirely contemporary soft indie rock, the kind that does not necessarily
harken back to any particular time period by its stylings, instead it devices to make its own
melodic statement as rather timeless piece suspended forever in its own stillness and
perfection; a lot like a piece of glass artwork left untouched and just out reach. That elusiveness
comes through a lot from Sievert’s lofty and somewhat detached vocals, but they also play a key
role in the themes that he tackles lyrically when he talks about looking for something that he
isn’t quite sure of.

Glass isn’t just useful and beautiful, it is also fragile, and I believe it’s that potential ephemerality
that Rilo Wye wished to capture -particularly in the lyrics- with this song. There’s a sadness or a
longing about it, which comes from a place of emotional transparency, of opening up about the
effects of solitude. Sieverts himself confides: “Glass is about being lonely and wanting more.
Staring through a glass window or a glass phone screen or a beverage glass, daydreaming and
trying to predict your future. Hoping the next encounter will be something better than the last.”

With this song we can glean only so much information about what drives Rilo Wye and where
he’s going, but it goes without saying we’re dealing with a seasoned musician bent on building
highly melodic soundscapes that will probably tend to fall right in the middle of a very fine but
always palatable line of bittersweetness.