Glassetonbury, Vol. 5: Sweet Sixteen

The first round of Glassetonbury, Vol. 5 is officially closed, and half of our entrants have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen! The matchups only get tougher as the grand prize comes closer into view, and this round will see some difficult departures. With that said, only one artist will win a featured interview on the front page of http://www.GlasseFactory.com, a live stream/fan Q&A hosted on our Instagram Live, and more.

Let’s take a look at where our bracket stands.

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 February 13th at 1:00 p.m. CST and 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! Don’t forget to follow us on social media @glassefactory for more updates.

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“Find Your Way” – Busy Not Dying x Dacey vs. “Creo Lo Sientes” – Sammy Rae & The Friends x C-BASS

“Find Your Way” comes from first-time Vancouver-based collaborators Busy Not Dying and Dacey. Dacey offers a brooding vocal take to Busy Not Dying’s swelling, synth-heavy instrumental on this vibrant, electronic indie-pop track. It was released in November 2020 and defeated “Number” by Jay Rydel and Slex Allen last round. Meanwhile, “Creo Lo Sientes” is a fun, Latin-inspired jam from New York’s Sammy Rae & The Friends. The dancy track was released as the fourth song on their January EP “Let’s Throw A Party!” and features Brooklyn rapper/drummer C-BASS trading with Sammy on an all-Spanish bridge about two-thirds of the way through. It defeated “This Is Gonna Remind Me of the Stars Forever” by Roussett last round.

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“Holding On” – TAROT vs. “In The Mi(D)st” – Joe Kenney x Sterling Duns

“Holding On” comes from Nashville-based pop artist TAROT. It has the kind of lax, mellow delivery you might expect from a Lana Del Rey or Mac DeMarco song, with a touch of the alternative-R&B sensibilities of artists like Kali Uchis. It released on January 22nd and defeated “REAL” by TEE and KAINE last round. Meanwhile, with “In The Mi(D)st,” Joe Kenney and Sterling Duns offer a live performance showcasing some impressive technical jazz fusion chops. The energy is frenetic, yet controlled, with blaring trumpets washing over choppy spoken-word vocals and a forceful performance from the rhythm section. It defeated “Bitter Memory” by Rob Kovacs last round.

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“sofa surfer” – Cole Allen vs. “Woah” – TJA x Jay Willy

Canadian indie-pop artist Cole Allen opens his 2021 EP “I Broke Like a Sweat in the Heat” with “sofa surfer,” and his voice and musical sensibilities remind me so much of Noah Gundersen. Fans of his or Phoebe Bridgers would likely enjoy this song. It defeated “Heartbreak” by Jon Reynolds & The Aches last round. Meanwhile, “Woah” comes from duo TJA and Jay Willy. It’s a grimy hip-hop/dub-step fusion with a lot of energy that is just waiting on a rave to be played at. It released on January 19th and defeated “Baby Grand” by Anna B Savage last round.

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“Emergency” – RoeShamBeaux vs. “Seems Like Fall” – Blvff

“Emergency” comes from Virginia rap duo RoeShamBeaux. It consistently offers a bouncy energy, and it’s another song in our bracket that would make for a perfect soundtrack to a house party in a pre-COVID time. It defeated “Postcards from Her Forest Boy” by Nothing More Cruel last round. Meanwhile, Blvff‘s “Seems Like Fall” brings together a jazzy electric piano-led instrumental and a consistently-smooth flow from the Long Island singer/rapper. Moments on this song call to mind artists like Smino and Saba, and while the track is only a hair over two minutes, it leaves an impression and lodges itself into your head. The song was released on January 15 and defeated “Stuck in a Moment” by Sean Christopher last round.

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“Comeback” – Tim Schou vs. “Movement” – Leah Rye

“Comeback” comes from Danish artist Tim Schou and released on January 15. This is the kind of song that I could hear in a variety of settings, from commercials to soundtracks and everything in between. It has some Jon Bellion, Lewis Capaldi, and Lukas Graham sensibilities. It defeated “Animal” by Ro Bergman last round. Meanwhile, Leah Rye‘s “Movement” also came out on the 22nd. The artist from Amsterdam who burst onto our radar with her 2020 song “All I Got” brings a similar energy on this one. Rye’s Lianne La Havas and Radiohead influences are apparent on this song, which features three-dimensional, full chord choices and a massive outro. It defeated “Too Much Like Love” by Mila Nile last round.

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“Nosedive” – Sorry Ghost vs. “One” – Shalisa Taylor

“Nosedive” comes from Baton Rouge, LA pop-punk trio Sorry Ghost. The most popular track from their 2020 album “The Morning After,” it will appeal to anyone who grew up listening to bands like blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, and Third Eye Blind. It defeated “Long Time Coming” by Joe Boyd last round. Meanwhile, Swedish singer-songwriter Shalisa Taylor‘s “One” lands on a style of pop that falls between Maggie Rogers and Taylor Swift, with a bit of Sigrid mixed in. The song came out on January 22nd and defeated “WHERE WERE U?” by MARCOUX last round.

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“leaf szn” – CHASE STEPHEN vs. “Old Pages” – Spondifferous

CHASE STEPHEN‘s “leaf szn” is a lo-fi, vibey, instrumental in the vein of “Beat Tape 2”-era Tom Misch. Stephen, the guitarist/producer who also founded the label Le Steez, released this track in November. It’s a perfect rainy-day jam chock full of tasty, clean guitar fills from the upstate New York native. It defeated “I Saw RED” by Justin Christopher last round. Meanwhile, “Old Pages” is a stripped-back piano ballad from American duo Spondifferous. The 2020 release reflects on leaving home, and it features a lightly-swung feel and lots of vocal harmonies. Fans of Nick Wilson or The Fray would appreciate the energy here. It defeated “Pretty Lil’ Lady” by Mutari and Jsn Alxr last round.

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“The Other Side” – Dan Kiernan vs. “Forgotten Tomorrows” – Jello Vibes x Eraserhood Sound

Dan Kiernan‘s “The Other Side” offers another exceptional, front-and-center vocal performance that fans of Sam Smith or Ben Platt‘s recorded music would appreciate. This has the feel of a live-set barnburner, and it’s a bit of a slow jam that feels like it could play at the end of an indie movie. It defeated “Reincarnate” by Emerson and Harry Nathan last round. Meanwhile, with “Forgotten Tomorrows,” Philadelphia vibraphonist Jello Vibes and label/production Eraserhood Sound work together to create a smooth, buttery instrumental reminiscent of something Makaya McCraven would put out. You can read our full review of it here. It defeated “Hard 2 Forget U” by Elijah Banks last round.