Album Premiere: Expert Timing – ‘Glare’
Posted: by The Editor
Photo by Sarah Modene
Expert Timing’s debut record, Glare, is brimming with lyrics that could double as journal entries. It’s baring and genuine, touching on the complications of life that seize many of us. Much of what makes Expert Timing sonically dynamic and vivid is the contrast of their two vocalists – Katrina and Jeff Snyder. They sing harmoniously, but at times, one vocalist takes a step back to let the other shine.
We are excited to be premiering the record for you now, take a listen below:
There are many tracks on the record that take particular significance. “Never See Me Again” details a yearning to escape one’s current life by moving to another city – a sentiment that many people have felt and even acted on. Often, people revere large urban metropolises as the key to thriving; consider, for example, how many television shows and films take place in New York City. This track counters that by instead advocating for simplicity. Katrina Snyder voices her frustrations with hoity-toity bars and a high cost of living, while worrying that her current place of residence is deterring her from fulfillment with “Wasting all my best years running from myself.”
“Alone” focuses on the debilitating nature of solitude. Jeff Snyder describes his thoughts as “obsessive” and “relentless” and asks, “when you’re staring at your phone, do you feel like you’re alone?” In a word, yes. Glare includes a couplet of tracks that center on the discomfort of being friends with someone who sucks. “Classic Case of Narcissism” is a venting session on someone who lacks self awareness. This person, whoever they may be, is pompous (“self congratulating mess”) and deceptive (“you dance around the truth”). The track feels like an excerpt from a couple’s conversation when one asked the other how their day went.
You realized your friend is the worst. Now what? “Sever Your Ties” serves as the second chapter. This track seems to detail reaching the breaking point, as Jeff Snyder states he shouted himself into hoarseness after making a confrontation. It can feel less nerve wracking to tolerate someone’s behavior than to serve a dose of brutal honesty and cut off contact. While it makes logical sense to keep a distance from someone who’s not enjoyable to be around, doing so can still feel like a loss – which is acknowledged in the track (“It’s never easy letting go.”)
Glare closes with its title track, which is just as sweet instrumentally as it is lyrically. Acoustic guitar chords comprise the infrastructure of this love ballad. Expert Timing’s two vocalists are married to each other, making the track even more authentic. It employs affectionate metaphors like “I was the rock that sinks, you were the net that saved me from the bottom” and “You are the light that leads, I’ll be the one that swims across the water.”
Expert Timing’s Glare is available now on Death Protector Collective. Buy a physical copy here.
Bineet Kaur | @hellobineet
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