Welcome to Artist Spotlight our new series where we introduce you to fresh and exciting bands you need to hear now!
To kick off the new year, we are excited to announce San Diego-based synth-pop duo Glass Spells as the next pick for our Artist Spotlight series! Fresh on the heels of the release of their sophomore album Crystals, which dropped this past July, Glass Spells, which consists of vocalist Tania Costello and producer/multi-instrumentalist Anthony Ramirez, have taken the synth-pop world by storm, fusing heartfelt lyrics, evocative melodies, and uplifting yet melancholic song arrangements that beam with a classic ‘80s sheen.
After a whirlwind year of touring, including a stint supporting indie-pop titans Cannons, Glass Spells are now gearing up for their biggest headlining show to date on Friday, January 17th, at the historic Fonda Theater right in the heart of Hollywood, California .They will also embark on their debut European tour this February. Needless to say, 2025 is already shaping up to be a monumental year for the Mexican-American Chicano duo as they continue to spread their infectious music around the world.
We caught up with Tania Costello and Anthony Ramirez of the San Diego-based synth-pop duo Glass Spells to discuss their sophomore album Crystals, creative processes, representing Mexican-American Chicano culture, their upcoming headlining show at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood on January 17th, and so much more.
Crystals is your first album in 3 years. What have the last few years been like, and what was the process like building this new body of work, and what do you ultimately want it to represent?
Tania Costello: It took us a while for logistical reasons. We were pushing [our previous album] Shattered (2021) for quite some time and trying to find the time between shows and promotion to get back into our creative space. The collaboration process was very similar to how we did Shattered: We start out writing remotely, Anthony will send over a quick demo of what he has, and then I add my vocals and lyrics. From there, we send feedback and polish it until it's good. Then we meet up [in person] and go over more details. It's a lot of back and forth, collaboration, tweaking, and ensuring we get it right.
Anthony Ramirez: I feel like the three years went by quickly, it just kind of happened. [Laughs.] Over those years, we laid down a lot of ideas for songs but were waiting for the right moment to finish them off.
How has your creative partnership grown through the experience of making this album and since Tania joined as the vocalist in 2019?
Costello: The more you work with a person, the more you learn how to mesh your creative ideas together. I think Anthony and I allow each other to be creative in our own ways and then mix it all together. We're fortunate that our creative processes work together. We are also always within the same ballpark. Some songs are easier to make than others, but sometimes what we each come up with on our own ends up working perfectly when we come together.
Glass Spell's home base in San Diego is undoubtedly a hotspot for synth wave and darkwave, but the origins can also be traced back to Calexico, Mexicali, where Anthony is originally from. How does your environment feed into your music?
Ramirez: Where I come from, there weren't many people using synths, so I wanted to do something different. There were a lot of bands when I was getting started in music, but they were more so garage rock, and I wanted to do something people weren't doing.
Costello: For my environment and me, I find myself writing about sunsets and sundowns and just reflecting on the beach. [Laughs.] Beyond my environment, I'm just inspired by life's regularness, whether that be heartbreak, love, or shared common experiences.
Another remarkable aspect of Glass Spells is your music's bilingual nature, showcased beautifully on the track "Hechizos," where you sing entirely in Spanish. How important is it to incorporate Spanish into your music, and what made you want to do this specifically with this song?
Costello: As Mexican-American Chicanos, we intentionally wanted to create a song in Spanish because as we kept touring over the years, people began to see us as representatives of the culture. I really wanted to write a song that reflected our roots. I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but grew up in San Diego, which is also close to the border, so I wanted something that truly represented not only what this band means to us but what it means to other people in our community around the country. The decision to sing fully in Spanish was to give back to our community and show that music in Spanish doesn't always have to sound like the typical songs you might hear.
You recently finished a tour with Canons, which must have been a pretty wild experience playing in such massive rooms. Were there any particular highlights that stand out to you?
Ramirez: One of the highlights for me was playing with Cannons at the Aztec Theater in San Antonio, Texas.
Costello: Oh my gosh, that was such a great show! [Laughs.]
Ramirez: First off, the Aztec Theater is such a beautiful venue. We also get a lot of messages from fans asking us to play in San Antonio. Not only were we playing with Cannons, but many people came to see us, so it felt so cool and was such a highlight of the tour. In general, I felt like Cannon's fans really liked us.
Costello: They like us, they really really like us! [Laughs.]
Ramirez: We felt it for sure.
Costello: It was a neat experience getting out there and visiting cities we'd otherwise not play. We played a lot of southern states, which was initially intimidating since we didn't know if we had fans out there, but to our surprise, we had quite a few out there who would come up to the merch table after our sets. Not to mention, many people were super excited to hear a Spanish synth-pop song like "Hechizos," which was super cool. Cannons were awesome to tour with; they're super sweet people, and overall, we learned a lot. It was a great experience.
On January 17th, you are playing a headlining show at the historic Fonda Theater in Hollywood, California. What are you looking forward to the most about this show? Being that the band is from Southern California, albeit San Diego, does this feel extra special and validating in every sense of the word?
Costello: Geez! When you put it out like that, yeah! [Laughs.] We had the pleasure of playing at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles last year, which was already a great experience in and of itself. However, going from The El Rey to The Fonda Theater is surreal. Los Angeles is our number one city on all platforms, so we're excited to play there again, let alone at a historic venue. I never in my wildest dreams thought we would be headlining a venue like this, and I haven't even fully processed it yet.
Ramirez: It's definitely intimidating. [Laughs.] Back in 2021, we played a show in LA, and when we were driving back home, I was like, "One day, I want to play this really pretty venue in Hollywood with a balcony," and I didn't remember the name at the time, but here we are.
Costello: When you say "One day," maybe you mean ten years from now, but I guess it's here way sooner than expected. It's incredibly validating and a testament to our hard work these past few years. We're hoping to make this our biggest headlining show to date.
You are also gearing up for your first European tour in February 2025. Are there any cities you are the most excited about playing in?
Costello: All of them! [Laughs.] I've never flown across the sea before, so even being on the other side of the world is hard to process. In my mind, we're still that small band from 2019, but there are now these constant reminders of how far we've come.
Ramirez: I've always wanted to visit London, so getting to play a show there is super cool. I've visited Paris before and have always wanted to play a show there since it has such a strong electronic music scene.
From Crystals, what would you say is your favorite track, both lyrically and sonically?
Costello: Oh gosh, that's like trying to pick your favorite child! [Laughs.] The one I find myself playing on repeat is "Before Dawn." Personally, I think it's the most heartfelt, deep, and emotional lyrics I have ever written. I poured a lot of heart and soul into this song, and sonically, it has this dreamy, melancholic, yet uplifting vibe that resonates with me the most.
Ramirez: That song was actually the last one we worked on for the record.
Costello: Yeah! We had to get this one just right. This was one of the few songs on the record where we met up in person and worked on it together in the same room.
Ramirez: I'm gonna go with "Without You." I really switched my brain on this one and really thought outside of the box of what I typically write and did something totally different while still matching Glass Spells' vibe. First off, I went really different with the bass and then added these cool layers on top. With the post-chorus, I added this arpeggiator, and once it was added, I was like, "I think this is solid."
Costello: I love the arpeggiator, it's so fucking sick! [Laughs.]
Watch the music video for “Without You” by Glass Spells below.
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