Main Character leaves us contemplating the ethics of arguably the biggest industry in the world.

With a sound similar to Wolf Alice and Chromatics, and with a talent for hitting home with hard subjects like Lana del Rey and Melanie Martinez, Glüme Harlow embodies all aspects of these admired artists and yet offers her own sublime swing of how genres should blend together. The pulsating synths, honeyed vocals, and sumptuous strings of her 2021 debut album ‘The Internet’ was an astounding piece of work and will leave you yearning for more.

Glüme consistently shows her listeners her virtuosity by blending elements of the synth-wave and synth-pop genres with the sensual and celestial orchestral arrangements we’d expect to hear in a classical Hollywood motion picture- therefore opening the door to a wide range of listeners.

Throughout both her debut and her new album ‘Main Character’, Glüme displays a clear cohesion with her motives for making music and her key lyrical themes are present and poignant in each and every track. From subjects surrounding feminine rage and power, sexuality, and religion, Glüme writes her lyrics with a conversational yet cerebral literary voice.  

Arguably the main theme in Glüme’s work is the life of Marylin Monroe. Her physical presentation exemplifies this (Glüme actually referred to herself once as “The Wal-Mart Marylin Monroe” which is pretty funny), and we can see Glüme advocate for the mistreatment of Monroe and others in the film industry throughout her work. Interestingly, she herself worked as an actor in her childhood, which provides listeners with a whole new perspective on the lyrics we hear her sing.

This brings us to the first track in Main Character- and where we begin our journey- titled ‘Child Actor’. Child Actor’ opens and closes the album with its reprise, and it centres around the exploitation of children in cinema. With thought-provoking lyrics like “They told you to smile”, “don’t get fatter”, and “don’t grow up”- coupled with the droning and wailing of the synth sounds that almost mimic a child crying- Glüme showcases the life (possibly her life too) as a child actor. A theme of escapism is explored with Glüme asking “how can I live in my own head?”. This sentiment is met with the dreamlike sound of the synths and strings coming in, blending harmoniously together to create a sense of freedom.

After this invigorating start, listeners are met with ‘Do Me a Favour’. The major key and optimistic lyrics utilised in this song not only contrasts the disturbing first track, but also shows Glüme’s growth as a person from her sentiments shared about love in ‘The Internet’.

Next, we hear ‘Brittany’, with Sean Ono Lennon- one of the many celebrated collaborators on this album. Glüme expands her dynamic range as an artist with these amazing musicians such as STRFCKR, Johnny Jewel and Rufus Wainwright. They each bring something new and exciting to her sound: in ‘Brittany’, gorgeous guitar leitmotifs are used in the chorus; it adds so much depth into an already astounding sonic diversity.

The stunning string arrangements are showcased more in the next two tracks. They’re a beautifully welcome interlude from the synth wave sonics we have become accustomed to in this album. ‘Dangerous Blue’ shows Glüme blending the two genres seamlessly. 

The contrast with the timbre of the piano being the main instrument in the eponymous song‘Main Character’ jerks listeners into full alert as we become entranced in the beautifully plucked pizzicato strings and the polyphonic mismatched melodies sung by Glüme and Wainwright.

Glüme keeps us on our toes with what to expect next. This album showcases everything she has to offer and has us banging our heads to swaying solemnly in a matter of minutes. ‘Wedding Cake Shop’ and ‘Flicker Flicker’ display this perfectly, with the former sounding like a video game score and the latter a more trap-style track.

Glüme leans into religious symbolism and hierarchy in ‘Garden of Allah’ and ‘Heaven’, utilising dreamy backing vocals that are reminiscent of a church choir. In the next track, ‘Queen of L.A’, the theme of hierarchy is still present; Glüme uses a reverb effect in the bridge and chorus which acts as a call-and-response; like a queen relaying words to her obeying subjects. 

The same utilisation of BVs can be heard in the twelfth track ‘Female Role Model’.  This song combines two core themes of the album: religion and the film industry. The title suggests the theme of women in the industry, how filmic icons are constantly and unavoidably sexualised. The lyrics “Give me a head start, I’m falling apart” could be referencing how men in the film industry (Arthur Miller for example) take actors they find physically attractive and give them a boost in their careers, all the while destroying them physically and mentally.

 ‘Main Character Overture’ is utterly astonishing, with clear influences of Hollywood composers like Justin Hurwitz and Alexandre Desplat; it’ll blow you away.

Both ‘Female Role Model’ and the last track, ‘Child Actor Reprise’, explore the abuse endured by young actresses. The last track focusses in on the children’s perspective- with spoken word dialogue like “Your mum, what was she like?” and “Why can’t I tell dad? What happens when he’s gone?”.

The last track- and the album as a whole- leaves us contemplating the ethics of arguably the biggest industry in the world, from a unique and personal lens with incredible storytelling, varied musical influences, and intelligent collaborations. Glüme’s ‘Main Character’  is an album you definitely don’t want to miss.