If you’ve been plugged into Chicago’s DIY scene in just about any capacity over the past decade and a half, you’ve probably encountered Jessee Rose Crane and Philip Lesicko’s music—whether through their output as The Funs or in some other iteration. That band’s final releases landed on Bandcamp between 2018 and 2019 (not to mention a guest spot on billy woods’ second LP of the latter year, Terror Management), which they’ve recently announced they’ll be following up under the Jesus-and-Mary-Chain-ier moniker Glow in the Dark Flowers, with a self-titled debut set for release on April 14 via Born Yesterday Records.
In the same way their Chicago peers in groups like Dehd and Lala Lala have evolved from a sound familiar to basement and warehouse sets into something with a bit more distinct character, Glow in the Dark Flowers hones in on a specific set of influences the duo have been experimenting with for years. On the latest sample of the record, “Still Close to Me,” they more closely resemble the zoned-out and vaguely sinister riffs of fellow Chicagoans Melkbelly as the track devolves into noisy instrumentation in its final minutes.
“The song is about still feeling connected to a loved one beyond death and feeling their presence,” Crane shares. “It has imagery of a mirage, heat refraction, and other natural and psychological phenomena that appear otherworldly. I describe the ephemeral and ghostly salt lake foam brushing across my feet.”
The duo created a video for the track, which similarly gets lost in the simple reverie of spinning ice cubes. Recalling how the video came together, Crane explains that it was inspired by a night at a noisy venue. “I started to play with a giant ice cube from one of the drinks and thought it was gorgeous and fun. I spent the next hour filming it, playing with lighting, and sliding it around with my friends Caleb and Julia. We probably looked ridiculous, but it turned an otherwise unpleasant experience into something creative and curious. When I went to edit the video, the imagery fit the song really well because the song talks about little moments of beauty like this.”
Check it out below.
