Cold Gawd’s new EP ‘Glory2’ takes the muscular distortion of their 2022 LP ‘God Get Me The Fuck Out of Here’ and the lush production of 2024’s ‘I’ll Drown On This Earth,’ then twists both into something built for right now.
For the California shoegaze band’s founder, frontman, and guitarist Matthew Wainwright, getting to tour extensively has been a lifelong dream. “I worked my whole life to get to the point where I could pack in the van with my friends and my songs and see the world,” he says. After critical praise for their sophomore album, Cold Gawd hit the road, supporting Spiritual Cramp, Soft Blue Shimmer, High Vis, and more. But when they got home from their fall 2025 tour, the childhood-dream shine wore off fast, and exhaustion moved in.
More than a record about touring, ‘Glory2’ is about the frustration and deep longing that distance breeds. Musically, it’s the band’s most realized and captivating work yet. The effervescent distortion and pummeling grooves that are Cold Gawd’s trademark are still here, but they’re refracted differently across the tracklist this time. Songs pull the expected shoegaze DNA from acts like Beach House and DIIV, but also reach further out, letting in flashes of BROCKHAMPTON and Tigers Jaw.
‘Glory2’ opens with an expansive statement — 808s, glitchy breakbeats, twinkly synth leads, and, notably, not a distorted guitar in sight, making it the band’s most polished production to date. As the EP unfolds, violins conjure a false sense of calm before getting dismantled by the distorted drum fill that kicks off Steel. The track, which arrives with a music video today, burns with the urge to break through an impenetrable obstacle — a figurative “steel plate” lodged in the narrator’s head.
Watch / Share “Steel” Music Video
The back half of ‘Glory2’ digs into more sensitive territory. Miracle is an immersive, affecting devotion to a love that outlasts distance — a mature step forward and a confident move into new songwriting territory for the band. The EP closes with Glory, written for Sophie, Wainwright’s late family dog, who passed away right before Cold Gawd left for their 2025 fall tour. It’s a fitting closer, pulling together every era of the band up to this point. Wainwright sings with resolve rather than anger, reflecting on a lost companion with the line “now I see you in every friend.” Where the record opens in turmoil, it ends in something closer to peace.
‘Glory2’ features contributions from Brandon Aviles (guitar/production), Cameron Fonacier (drums), and Cameron “Duck” Burris (bass/vocals), plus producer Max Mercier. It’s the band’s most collaborative effort yet, and it’s out now on Dais Records.
‘Glory2’ track list
- Glory2
- Steel
- Grease
- Bomb Pop
- Miracle
- Glory
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