Brooklyn’s Glass Lungs are celebrating the arrival of their new EP, Afterglow. A blend of shoegaze atmosphere and post-hardcore melodies, the EP highlights the group’s evolution. Glass Lungs have teamed up with Metal Insider to share a track-by-track guide behind Afterglow.

With Afterglow, our sound changed a lot with regards to speed and urgency, but gained a larger, darker vibe, which I immediately latched onto with the lyrics and vocals. The inception of the writing process was during a fairly happy time in my life and ultimately ended at a much darker point, to put it mildly, and I think each song captures a piece of that journey. It was one of the most difficult writing processes I’ve experienced, just because of where my head was at and how I felt about my own life and the state of the world, but I’m happy I was able to stick with it and I think we created something really interesting in the end.

Hideaway – Hideaway is a straightforward song about the grief and regret you feel after a failed relationship. Helplessness kind of permeates the entire EP and this track definitely sets the tone for what’s to come.

Absolution – absolution was very difficult for me to write, considering the subject matter. It deals with the atrocities that are occurring in Gaza and initially I wasn’t sure if I was the right person or if I even had the right to speak on other another people’s suffering. Ultimately I decided it was something that I couldn’t help but express. There’s an element of wanting to force people to acknowledge the reality of the situation and the frustration that comes with them refusing to. 

Labyrinth – This song was an exploration of my struggles with anxiety and depression, and how I almost felt like I wouldn’t it out. I was in a relationship at the time and I’m sure I wasn’t the easiest to deal with, but thankfully the person I was with was kind enough to comfort me along the way. That’s essentially the core of it. It’s kind of a thank you note to them for giving me a reason to stick around.

Misery – Misery is another of my anti-authoritarian songs, I guess you could say. We have a couple of those. It deals mainly with the governing systems of our country and how inescapable or averse to change they seem to be. There’s also a bit of ruminating upon how guilty should we feel as a society.  How complicit have I been in this whole mess? Considering the totalitarian regime we have in office right now, I think it’s fairly apt.

Afterglow – The title track is an encapsulation of my darkest moments during the writing process. My depression was at its worst and and made me write certain ideas that I don’t necessarily believe, but I think are important to expose to those who may not be acquainted with just how devastating that illness can be. It forced me to believe that no one really cared or would express any semblance of sadness if I wasn’t in the picture anymore. Looking back, it was almost like writing a villainous version of myself. Was very uncomfortable but also extremely therapeutic and I hope that it can maybe help some people out there who might be going through the same thing.

The new Glass Lungs EP, Afterglow was released on August 22, 2025. Order here. 

Zenae Zukowski

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