“in case i forget you,” the new album from glass egg, takes listeners on a personal journey through emotions and experiences. Each track, from the nostalgic “back to me” to the reflective “patterns,” offers a unique glimpse into Emilia Glaser’s world. Collaborating with Julian Stefanzick, Emilia blends dreamy, ethereal sounds with grounding intensity, creating a distinct atmosphere. As you read through the track-by-track write-up, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the emotions and stories that inspired each song.

back to me- This track is about missing someone dear to you- about when you’ve grown accustomed to having someone near and that familiarity is suddenly gone. Julian and I have been playing this song together for some time but it really found itself this last year. We took some time away from it and came back and I thought: this song really deserves more than what we’ve given it. It has always felt like a starting song, and when we play live this is often the first song on the setlist, so we translated that to the album as well. There is something about the starkness of this song that lends well to being an entrance into the world I’m trying to evoke with glass egg- it’s got elements that are dreamy and ethereal, but the aggression of the drum machine and the heaviness of the bass line pull you back to damp earth. This song feels like nostalgically rummaging through boxes in a dusty attic at night with moon light pouring through a tiny window.

vern song- “vern song” is about my cat, Vern. Really it’s about the profound beauty of caring for a creature or another human and feeling a love that is ever expansive. It seems a little silly in concept when applied to a cat, but I think it holds a sentiment everyone with a pet/creature or child can relate to. I have spent a lot of time fearing his death which is what the bridge lyrics are about, but ends with the chorus and not on a downer note (which is a little uncommon for the tone of my songs). “vern song” is the poppiest track on the album, but it retains the same ~not fully on the ground~ atmosphere as the other songs. 

choke- This song is about breaking free from someone who is destructive, accompanying self-doubt, and the reconstruction of self post fracture. The song moves through these feelings lyrically and sonically, with the ending noise and guitar solo signifying the rebuilding of self worth and power. I wrote this song while processing a really difficult friendship ending and realizing the prolonged conscious and subconscious effects it had on my mental health and other relationships. Writing this song helped me wade through a lot of trauma and resentment, and everytime we play it live I ground myself a little more in my own self assurance. Julian had the idea for the noise section at the end and that backbone really shaped the way my guitar solo feels like a release of all those trash emotions in the most perfect way.   

clearly- “clearly” is a true, old fashioned love song. It’s about fighting feelings because you’re scared of getting hurt or ruining a friendship, but finally allowing and letting those feelings develop into a beautiful relationship. A relationship where you grow individually, together, in a supportive and organic way, building resilience. The repeated line: “I can see you so clearly I could cry” encapsulates the euphoria of giving in to loving someone fully and seeing them for who they are. I love the ending of this song and the build up of that line with all the guitar and synth parts circling around each other- it’s blissful and yearning and sounds like the inside of my heart feels like. Julian’s bass line at the end is also just so killer and complements my vocals so well. The raw emotion morphing into transcendent realization within the lyrics of this song captures where I want to be moving as a lyricist, and this track is my current favorite on the album.

tightrope- There was a period of time a little over a year ago when I almost stopped considering musicianship as an aspect of myself that I might share with others. I had stopped playing shows due to the pandemic and moved to a new city. I was struggling to feel part of any music culture as an artist- I felt detached from my identity and like I had a constant internal battle about who I was and wanted to be. Upon reflection, I was just scared to make any first step toward creating the life and art I desired for fear of failure, a truly played out sentiment! But one thing my mom said to me years ago (shoutout to motherly advice) always repeats in my head: “you have got to stop being so self limiting.” 

Sonically, the song is wandering, has no chorus or true anchor, and reflects not knowing where you are when you’re hiding from yourself. But there is something compelling to me about how it doesn’t find that anchor- it keeps growing and moving and searching. Julian and I call it “the hero’s journey” because it’s a trek of a song for one, but it really is a pursuit for truth and self realization. This was the last song I produced for the album, and it was quite the challenge to arrange, but I really like how it turned out. I want this song to be useful to people in knowing they’re not alone when they’re feeling lost on a soul level- it’s a shared experience, and when you allow yourself to feel and analyze those thoughts, there are some major breakthroughs that become available. Do your art, hone your craft, don’t look to your day job to create your purpose or self worth- that has to come from within.

patterns- I wrote “patterns” after a very intense loss of a family member. I have always referred to “patterns” as a meditation on grief, partly because of how drony it is- I think it lends itself to the drift achieved in a meditative or even dissociative state, but mainly because the lyrics are about going through stages of grief and self reflection. I have always been someone who feels deeply and intuitively, but doesn’t share my own feelings and reflections very openly- I’d rather be a consoling presence for others. “patterns” is a really vulnerable song for me, and is a space where I am able to share those deep feelings externally. I think my music is very emotionally available, on a level I’m not often able to achieve with people outside of my music, which I think is a common experience for artists. I wrote this song about 7 years ago and it was a song I wrote and thought “finally, here is the type of song I want to be writing” and really signaled to me an opening and change of direction to what I had been creating before. It was the closer song for all my live sets for years and really feels like a natural conclusion to the album.

All songs written by Emilia Glaser 

Track List: 

1. back to me

2. vern song

3. choke

4. clearly

5. tightrope

6. patterns