Q&A: The Glowworms Unveil Their Debut Single "Cable TV"
THE GLOWWORMS SET INTO THE INDIE MUSIC SCENE with their inaugural single, "Cable TV," a melodic tapestry woven with emotional depth and transcontinental resonance. In an exclusive interview, the band shares insights into the genesis and creative process behind their entrancing debut.
Driven by a quest for authenticity and warmth, The Glowworms find their collective voice amidst the bustling realms of London and LA. "Cable TV" emerges as a heartfelt ode to the complexities of long-distance relationships, each note a defiant proclamation against doubt and distance. Through meticulously crafted instrumentation and lyrical poignancy, the song invites listeners on a journey of emotional discovery and sonic exploration.
As aspirations of vibrant live performances and musical innovation loom on the horizon, The Glowworms stand poised at the brink of indie excellence. With unreleased tracks simmering in the wings, the band charts a course destined to captivate audiences and redefine the indie landscape. "Cable TV" serves as a luminous prelude to The Glowworms' musical odyssey, a testament to the transformative power of collaboration and creative vision in the ever-evolving tapestry of indie music.
LUNA: Can you share the story behind the formation of The Glowworms and how each of you came to be part of the band?
THE GLOWWORMS: I’ve had a solo project called dovvydotcom for like 2 years now, which was kind of the first alias I ever put music out under. But around a year ago, I started writing these songs that were warmer, more heartfelt, more centered around live instrumentation, and I guess I just couldn’t reconcile that with my past stuff. So I reached out to Sam and George and Tibo when I got back to London to see about bringing that stuff to life and giving it a new home I guess.
LUNA: "Cable TV" is described as a warm, urgent love song. What inspired the lyrics and the overall vibe of the track?
THE GLOWWORMS: Like a lot of my songs, it’s kind of all over the place thematically, and is more like sketches of little emotional and geographical snapshots than one narrative - that said, kind of the main thing propelling this one is the relationship I’m in right now. I’ve been with someone for a while who lives back in the states so this song is kind of like a defiant little proclamation in the face of all the pitfalls that come with doing long-distance…It’s one of those things where I was having a hard time kind of reassuring them and putting their doubts to bed about how I felt and just how committed I was; I would always say like, “Oh if you could only see inside my head…” so this song is kind of that.
LUNA: How did you approach the songwriting process for "Cable TV," especially considering the geographical distance between London and LA?
THE GLOWWORMS: It’s funny, we wrote and recorded this one in a million little pieces over the course of 2023: I tracked that original guitar riff in London in the spring, and Sam’s drums and my vocals came next. Then when I was home in the summer, I met up for a session with an old friend from when I was at UCLA, Tommy DeBourbon, who recorded the pedal steel and bass on this one. I finished the production after I got back to the UK in the fall.
LUNA: The sound of The Glowworms is described as somewhere between stories and hymns, organic and distorted. How do you navigate blending these elements in your music?
THE GLOWWORMS: I guess no matter how weird we got with the production I’ve always admired classic songwriting, like Townes Van Zandt or old Corridos and things like that, so I wanted it to be almost a poem, lyrically. Like I got really really wordy. I guess this one is also kind of down-the-middle instrumentally but we have some weirder stuff around the corner, don’t worry!
LUNA: "Cable TV" features an acoustic-forward arrangement with pedal steel. Can you discuss the creative decisions behind the instrumentation and production of the track?
THE GLOWWORMS: Everything really came from that riff, which I wrote just noodling around on the acoustic last spring, and then I’ve always been addicted to that kind of honky-tonk drum groove, I’m sure it has a name but I have no idea. I found by taking it a bit faster and ahead of the beat, it had a cool kind of urgency without losing its bounciness - when Tommy recorded the steel on top of it though, that really tied everything together. I knew I wanted to hear that over the song, I was listening to a lot of shit with steel at the time, and when he recorded over it, I just gave him carte blanche and he smashed it.
LUNA: What themes or emotions do you hope listeners will take away from "Cable TV"?
THE GLOWWORMS: I hope people can pick up on this kind of bright and assured type of optimism I was trying to write, like that really intoxicating sense of urgency you sort of get when you’re going between places. I hope it gets put in some cool playlists and that we get wedged between good songs and played on road trips and things like that.
LUNA: As a brand new band, what are your aspirations and goals moving forward, both in terms of music releases and live performances?
THE GLOWWORMS: It's so new, but we’re planning to put a lot of pieces together this year. We'll be doing a bunch of shows this winter and spring and winter, we’ll be at the Windmill in Feb and then Cavendish Arms a couple of weeks later. As for releases, don’t wanna give too much away, but there should be plenty of news coming your way soon…
LUNA: How do you see The Glowworms evolving and growing musically in the future, especially after the release of your debut single?
THE GLOWWORMS: We have a whole swath of different things in the chamber, some of which are a lot grittier or harder-hitting than this one, but as soon as I wrote this one I knew this was ‘one’, this was where we had to start from.
