Glassetonbury, Vol. 5: Final Four

After an exhilarating Elite Eight round that saw a down-to-the-wire matchup between Dan Kiernan and CHASE STEPHEN, we’ve reached our Final Four. These songs have survived three rounds in the bracket, and they’re now only two wins away from taking home our prize package of a featured interview on the front page of http://www.GlasseFactory.com, a live stream hosted on our Instagram, and more.

Let’s take a look at our bracket:

Each matchup below will feature links to the songs, a brief description of each song and artist, and a poll for you to vote on. Voting will close on Saturday, February 27th at 1:00 p.m. CST, and each poll is limited to one vote per IP address per 24 hours. To prevent botting, we equip all of our polls with CAPTCHA protection, and while this is a necessary step to preserve the integrity of the tournament, sometimes this can lead to problems when people try to vote on multiple polls in one round. To ensure that your votes are properly counted, refresh the page before voting on a new poll, and make sure to click “Vote” again after you pass the CAPTCHA protection. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Campaign for your favorites on social media and in the comments below, and don’t forget to follow us on social media @glassefactory for more updates!

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“In The Mi(D)st” – Joe Kenney x Sterling Duns

defeated “Bitter Memory” by Rob Kovacs in the Round of 32

defeated “Holding On” by TAROT in the Sweet Sixteen

defeated “Find Your Way” by Busy Not Dying x Dacey in the Elite Eight

Pianist/composer Joe Kenney and rapper Sterling Duns‘ collaboration “In The Mi(D)st” has brought their brand of technically-proficient, refreshingly unique hip-hop/jazz fusion all the way to the semi-finals. After a bit of a test in the first round, they cruised through their second and third matchups to earn their place in our Final Four.

On this song, the energy is frenetic, yet controlled. Blaring trumpets wash over Duns’ choppy, spoken-word vocals, and the rhythm section comes through with a driving performance. It’s the final track from Kenney’s 2020 album “Forth.”

— vs. —

“Woah” – TJA x Jay Willy

defeated “Baby Grand” by Anna B Savage in the Round of 32

defeated “sofa surfer” by Cole Allen in the Sweet Sixteen

defeated “Emergency” by RoeShamBeaux in the Elite Eight

Flint, MI rapper TJA and featured artist Jay Willy have been a dominant force in every round so far, winning their previous matchups by significant margins over some fantastic songs to lock down their place in the Final Four.

It’s a grimy hip-hop/dub-step fusion that released on January 19th. The energy on this song reminds me of some of Futuristic and Devvon Terrell‘s collaborations — with an extra dose of wubs and dubs to make you wish you were at the rave they were playing this at. The video features the artists living it up with a party bus, liquor, and a pet lemur.

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“One” – Shalisa Taylor

defeated “WHERE WERE U?” by MARCOUX in the Round of 32

defeated “Nosedive” by Sorry Ghost in the Sweet Sixteen

defeated “Comeback” by Tim Schou in the Elite Eight

Swedish pop singer-songwriter Shalisa Taylor has managed to increase her standing in the tournament in every round so far. After registering 19 votes in the Round of 32, she was able to nearly double her vote total in the Sweet Sixteen in a tough matchup against Sorry Ghost. She maintained that turnout in the Elite Eight and now finds herself in our semi-finals.

Her song “One” is a slow-build indie/synth-pop ballad that lands somewhere in-between a good Maggie Rogers song and Taylor Swift‘s more downtempo pop music — with a bit of Sigrid mixed in for good measure. The song came out on January 22nd and marked her first single of 2021.

— vs. —

“leaf szn” – CHASE STEPHEN

defeated “I Saw RED” by Justin Christopher in the Round of 32

defeated “Old Pages” by Spondifferous in the Sweet Sixteen

defeated “The Other Side” by Dan Kiernan in the Elite Eight

What a comeback! After being down by over 30 votes heading into the last 48 hours of the Elite Eight, CHASE STEPHEN mounted a furious rally, leading to an all-out sprint to the finish in which he was able to take and hold the lead over capable contender Dan Kiernan and his song “The Other Side.” His showing last round put us all on notice, and he certainly appears to be taking the reins of this competition heading into the home stretch.

His song “leaf szn” is a lo-fi, vibey, instrumental in the vein of “Beat Tape 2”-era Tom Misch. It’s a perfect rainy-day jam chock full of tasty, clean guitar fills from the upstate New York native. STEPHEN, who also founded the Le Steez label, released this track in November 2020.

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Don’t forget to follow our Glassetonbury: Hall of Fame playlist below!