In the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, the vastness is immediately felt. The plains reach on for countless miles in the southern tip of the state, with small communities populating the area between larger towns. 

“I kind of like the space and the distance,” remarks guitarist Toni Ordaz. “When you get a sunset, it just feels very grand and big and spacious.” 

The intense sunsets and long drives of southern Texas feed directly into the hypnotic, grand beauty of Glare’s shoegaze revivalism on debut LP Sunset Funeral. At times a personal rumination on grief and loss, Sunset Funeral glazes over the melancholy with dreamy, flowing guitars and soft vocals. Despite the gorgeous melodies and serene sonic palette, Glare still revels in moments of distorted grandiosity on songs like “Saudade” and “Nü Burn.”

In conversation with Culture Flux, Ordaz discussed implementing these contrasting elements in music, how living in the Rio Grande Valley affected Sunset Funeral, and the cathartic nature of emotional vulnerability. 

Culture Flux: You said that the album is for people who don’t know how to talk about how they feel. So can you talk about the emotional connection that you have to shoegaze, and how that started for you?

Toni Ordaz: I feel like the soundscapes kind of connect with me in a way. It just feels very primitive, or like echoes and shit. I don’t know, like the reverb attacks- it sounds very cathartic, and I think it just takes me to different places. It feels like it’s always kind of hard to explain, because I feel like I think about so many different things.

I suppose, it depends on what the song is about or whatever it becomes about, but I think it’s maybe even therapeutic in a way, trying to write words for how I feel.

It makes sense for sure. Does that make the lyrics more difficult to write when you’re thinking about, you know, translating emotion to sound?

I think so. Like, at least for me, when I write the music first, sometimes I’ll give it a title with what I think would be a good title at the time, and then it’ll change. And I kind of use that as a creative direction for what I want to write about. I think eventually I do get something that expresses what how I feel, or how the music makes me feel. It can be a little challenging, but so fun when you kind of feel like you nail it, or something like, “oh, this is pretty close,” or “this is exactly what it is.”

Did you go into writing for Sunset Funeral with an overall concept or theme or framework for the album, or did you just start writing off the cuff?

So at the start we talked about concepts like death and life and how it made us feel. Like visually, what makes us feel that way. We kind of settled on the artwork of being the sunset, or at least the concept of it, because we had gotten the artwork done a long time ago.

And we kind of set that as the vibe we wanted to go for, like sunset at the end of the day. Maybe like the start of the other part of the day, which is like night or something. It’s a very transitionary feeling I think of new beginnings and endings and stuff like that. And I think that’s kind of all throughout the record.

There’s a song called “2 Soon 2 Tell,” and some of the lyrics are like they have shadows, and they reference shadows and stuff. So I think light and shadows- and sources of light and all that kind of stuff- you’re kind of taking for inspiration and they end up kind of being good analogies, I think, to how a person could feel and stuff like that. 

Especially the colors, too, like it’s very warm and red, and cold purples, or I guess it purple’s a little bit warmer, but that’s cool. But yeah, but it’s just kind of a different hue of all those colors.

I’m based in Fort Worth, and I know that you’re from the Rio Grande Valley area, and it’s far removed from a lot of the big music scenes that we have here in Texas. I’m curious how that has affected the music you make, or has it affected what you make?

There’s a music scene here, but I think when it comes to our music, I think it kind of makes us do our own thing. I feel like we are in the loop of what other people are doing, but I kind of like the space and the distance. At least for me, I don’t feel distracted of what other people are doing. We’re inspired by the things I feel like just come from the gut.

We’re not seeing like, all these other bands all the time. I don’t know, I feel like it’s not so much like being super secluded, but I think it definitely affects it in some way. I feel like it’s always changing. It feels like a back and forth. If I think back, “oh, I feel secluded,” and then there’s community wherever we go, or something like that. 

I mean, the bond that you have with the community is probably so much stronger. There’s not as many people to communicate with.

Yeah, and it feels good when you see someone you know, like, it always feels like we’re saying goodbye or “I’ll see you later,” and departing and stuff like that. I think it really, I guess, helps the song. I think it’s probably a subtle thing like, “oh, you can hear someone’s life in their music.” Everything’s an influence I guess. 

I think it’s interesting because Sunset Funeral feels like your catchiest material so far, yet there is still this hint of melancholy and darkness. So was that contrast purposeful? Because you were talking about light and shadows…

Yeah, I think so. I think our poppiest song is “Guts” and I knew from the beginning like, “oh, this song’s sounding very poppy.” The lyrics have to be like a contradiction, or like the opposite of that. But it still has its tangles, and because I think, sonic[ally] man, not only sounded like a love song, but like, “oh, what if there’s this concept of death,” like, “oh, I love you to death” and stuff like that. So I just think things are better when both sides are kind of present. 

And I love pop music, too. I just love a good hook, and you could… like melody, you know? So I think it’s always like, when we write something, we hold on [to] pop and darkness, like dark pop, depressing pop [laughs].

Did making this album feel different than the other songs that you’ve made before, whether it’s emotionally or sonically?

I think, in terms of clarity, that what we wanted to do… I haven’t felt so like, “oh, this is what we’re going to do.” I had a similar feeling with that when we first started out. It feels good to kind of have an idea of what you’re going to do. I don’t think we really felt lost while making the new record. It’s just so very natural. We all kind of wanted the same things out of it.

Is that a difficult thing sometimes in the past, to make sure you’re all on the same page, musically?

It can be. But I mean, I think there’s always an understanding of the vibe. There really isn’t heads butting against it. I think we all kind of get it and it’s a very collaborative thing.

It’s just a pleasure to make the record and thinking back, I think I probably wouldn’t have done it any other way. The record itself is probably almost two years old now, before we released it. So it’s just been kind of ready. Yeah, I’m just excited for people to actually just hear it and take in the full thing that it is.

Does the band have a good sense of knowing when a song is completed? Some people keep tinkering with it sometimes.

I think so. I think in the end it’s kind of like, “yeah, we got it.” But for me, I’ll be speaking and working on the phone for a bit. Like even now, I’m writing stuff. I’m just re-recording the song, and seeing how different… what works and what doesn’t- what qualities I want it having, or didn’t think about when I was doing it. But when it’s ready, it’s ready. I think you can just kind of tell in your gut.

There’s always a strive for perfection, but that doesn’t exist. It’s kind of pointless [to] try to strive for perfection or someone else’s concept of perfection. Only we know when it’s ready. I don’t want to rush anything.

What was the biggest challenge with making the album?

I think, driving out all the way to LA. We took my little car, and five of us drove like three days to LA from Texas, and just getting there… 

It was so exciting. Once we got there, it was pretty easy. It was like two and a half weeks of recording and tracking it. And maybe we’re still actually developing the record. It was hard, but I mean, we spent all that time, so much time before that just setting everything up. So I guess it’s more like a time thing, but even that wasn’t difficult. 

It was just kind of taking it step by step. It’s just getting there, just gradually trying to take it song by song and trying to just make it cohesive. So probably, like the actual work is probably the most [challenging]. But I just remember that driving being like so long like, “oh, we’re almost there.” I think it was my first time out in LA for like two weeks or something. So it just felt kind of really special all the time.

That’s a really good test to see if your band has camaraderie while touring. If you drive all the way to LA from there, that’s quit a trip. 

In a small car, it’s crazy.

So do you feel like making it in LA had a big difference on the completed project, or maybe not necessarily the sound, but maybe some things you wouldn’t have come up with if you made it at home?

Well, I think Philip Odom, our producer who tracked and who helped us record the album, he’s so great at what he does. I feel like he really helped elevate the songs that we had. We came in wanting to write better, like vocal melodies, and just stuff to complement the songs, because we had always felt like vocally, that was our weakest quality. So he really helps push us to get… he’s really good [with] performances, I think. The best stuff we’ve ever done so far.

He travels from Texas. I think he has like a studio now in Texas, or he’s starting one up. But at the time he only did records in LA. I think without him it probably wouldn’t have been as good as it is, and probably would have sounded different.

But yeah, like as a city itself, I mean, it’s pretty cool. It was raining a lot, too, while we were there. So I think that adds to the mood, the depressing mood… it’s just classic moody. 

Very different for LA.

Yeah, it was kind of crazy. I always thought it was sunny, and I wasn’t expecting rain.

You started off the album with “Mourning Haze,” and it’s a really beautiful, really melodic track. So why did you feel like that was the right track to start off the album?

So it was the oldest song that we had on the record. We’ve had that since, probably when we were doing the Void in Blue stuff. It just felt right to start off, because when we made that song, I felt like, “oh, this song should be on the record. I don’t know where, but it has to be on the record.”

That’s why it’s the first one. It’s a good start, like when the snare hits.

You really emphasized melody with this album a lot more. And we were talking earlier about the catchiness of the record, so who are some artists that you look to in terms of constructing melody? Not necessarily just rock, could be outside of that, but are there any in particular that have inspired you creatively?

I think the most obvious one is probably The Cure. I love their guitar melodies and stuff. I think that’s always in the back of my head. New Order, I guess, just classic guitar stuff.

I guess, like more contemporary stuff. You kind of draw inspiration from everywhere, I guess, but I think The Cure one… it’s kind of like, “oh, it sounds like The Cure.” At least I heard that criticism, and I love that band so, it’s cool people get it. When you see it, it’s a huge compliment.

It’s interesting because you mentioned both the Cure and Joy Division. I feel like even though there’s a beauty in their music and their melodies, there’s still that sadness.

Oh, for sure!

That’s always there, so it’s interesting. It’s kind of like making something beautiful out of something dark, which I guess is kind of what you want to do, right?

Yeah, especially with The Cure stuff, I feel like they have a song for every moment in life ever, but my favorite ones are the romantic ones that sound like a dream. And they’re just very melancholic- that connection of like, “oh, I love you to death,” and stuff like that. I don’t know if they don’t have a song like that. That’s the vibe that I get. That kind of stuff just speaks me, it’s nice.

Do you have imagery in mind then when you’re making a song, as far as the tone of it?

It really depends what the song is or what it’s becoming or what sticks, cause all the lyrics… mostly they’re all fictional and stuff. We’re really just into a specific vibe. So I think it’s in some way, I guess you can kind of think of it as dialogue in a movie or something like that. It’s a fun creative exercise to think about it like that for me. Depending on the song, I’ll picture different things.

For the song “Felt,” that instrumental always reminded me of stars flickering, like light on water, or something like that. Just maybe some Lost in Translation kind of thing, where it’s just vibes, like Japan or something like that- a girl looking out the window with rain on the window, or something like that, just sad stuff, like longing. This depends what song it is, I can probably make stuff up for an hour or something [laughs].

I also thought it was interesting with the song “Nü Burn,” because you really did something a little heavier with that one. The band has talked about how you knew it was going to be a single when you made it, so what were the initial feelings about that song and why you felt that would be a good single right off the bat?

It’s just so aggressive. When it starts, it’s not jarring, but it’s like, “oh, this is different.” It’s a very unexpected turn, I think. I like when you have that moment to surprise people. I think it’s just a good song for that, even compared to the first single that we dropped. It’s just so different. I like to mess with expectations, and I think that was just perfect. But I think the whole song just transforms into something else, like when the chorus hits. It’s completely different from the beginning and how it ends. It shows how we’ve grown as a band I think too, song structure wise and just the level that that one’s at.

What do you think is the biggest difference between when you started out to now, whether it’s musically or otherwise?

I guess just life. Life’s different. We all just go through life and stuff and just trying to do the music thing. I think, musically… it probably has gotten better. I feel like I’m a better writer now than I was when we started. I feel like I’m better at guitar now than since we started. I mean, is anyone the same as they were almost 10 years ago?

As far as the writing for the album, the lyrics have a lot about, you know, grief, but it also has love as well. So was writing for this album difficult sometimes… to be emotionally vulnerable?

Yeah, sometimes I would keep in mind, “oh, this can’t be on a record forever, until civilization ends, or whatever [laughs]. It’s kind of hard to solidify those feelings, especially when you’re still processing them. I think on some of the songs… there’s a certain order of uncertainty, too, like the idea of “maybe everything is gonna be okay” kind of thing. And it can be difficult, it’s a tricky one. It comes back and then it leaves, but it never leaves. It’s weird, I find myself not being able to talk about things still, but that’s life, I guess.

Does writing songs sometimes help you process certain emotions, though? Is it a catharsis?

I think so, It can be. It depends on the song of course, like the song “Bloom.” Instrumentally that was a song that I had written for my grandmother, and she just passed away some years ago before she could hear it. So with that song, [I was] like, “oh, this is the song my grandmother thought was really pretty,” you know, before it became recorded and stuff. So in a way when I hear that song, I think of my grandmother, like, “this is the one that she really likes.” It just makes me feel closer to her. She’s always gonna be there. That memory of her will always be with me. It just feels good. I think it really helps me process that. 

Even for the longest time, I kind of got that feeling like, “oh, do I really feel this way about it?” And it’s like, I do. There’s nothing wrong with feeling a lot. I don’t know if there’s another song on the record that’s in that way. So maybe like five years from now, I’ll feel a different way about the songs or something, but we’ll see.

Sometimes some of the songs that you write, the lyrics aren’t specific enough that they feel they’re about a particular event. Do you think about how listeners are going to relate to them?

I think so. The thing for me is, I like a sense of mystery, too. I think there’s that classic trope where it’s like, “oh, you can’t hear the lyrics,” and I always thought that was so fun. Like, “oh, you can’t hear the vocalist, sorry.” I always thought like, “lyrics are kind of mysterious.” It kind of makes it a fun little thing for me. It feels like a disembodied kind of dream, or something. You’re not sure what it means.

And hopefully it’s not too confusing or too alienating. I think we kind of find a balance between that. But I mean, if it speaks to someone, great. If it doesn’t, cool. It’s not for everyone. 

There’s something interesting about the mysteriousness of it. Maybe that makes it more intriguing that you don’t have the full story, and you can fill that in yourself?

Yeah, I think it’s so fun, even with movies or books or shows. The language plays with… I think it makes it kind of live beyond itself too. You’re thinking about it after listening to it or seeing something.

Honestly, nothing really has to be explained. I think I’ve grown into that more as I grow older. You’re like, “oh, I’m not going to explain anything. One day it was like, “put it out there,” and who cares! It’s just like one of those things that I just really enjoy. 

I wanted to ask you as my last question, what are some of the goals, or just things that you want to accomplish for Glare in the next few years? It could be artistically or otherwise, but are there any things that come to mind?

Well, another album for sure, maybe a third one. Other things beyond music, probably be more involved in a video element. I’ve always wanted to make a video or something. So it would probably be a lot of fun to have a more personal touch to the visual element of our music. It’s too soon to say now, but I think that’s something I want to do next. I just keep rocking , just getting better.