EP Review: Body of Glass

For well over a decade now Dylan Frater has been a feature in the New Zealand music scene, in that time he has explored multiple different genres from indie-rock to pop as well as multiple bands and solo projects, but throughout it all he has consistently maintained a lyrically complex and journalistic songwriting style. His music is deeply personal and has an authenticity that can only come from a genuine place of introspection and personal exploration as opposed to a hack ballad strategically engineered to tug at your emotions, Dylan’s songs feel like real experiences that act like a journal he shares unfiltered to the world.

Body of Glass is the latest EP from Dylan, produced under the stage name SOMMR is a three track 45 released on vinyl and where in the past Dylan has dipped his toes into electronic production Body of Glass is a deep dive into indie-pop-EDM complete with its own club banger on the A side.

The titular track Body of Glass starts off with a steady paced synthwave-esque beat when Dylan chimes in with his signature poetic lyricism the line ‘If I stay here any longer breathing ash’ is relation to a fiery break up paints a particularly vivid image I’m sure many listeners will be familiar with. The song explores the inner turmoil and hollowness one can experience in love lost captured brilliantly again with the line “I’m just a body of glass to you”. As if mimicking the emotional journey of the protagonists break up there is a dynamic journey through the music, periods of stripped back minimalism giving emphasis to the story being told are counterpointed by a warm uplifting chorus so while it is not exactly what you would call a happy song it doesn’t feel self-indulgently morose either.

Continuum, the second and final track of the A side, is a classic club banger complete with a stomp your feet and sing along chorus, again here Dylan’s lyrical talent and authenticity stands out and transforms what could initially be perceived as a run of the mill pop ballad into a meaningful song that feels unique while still conforming to the boundaries of what you expect to hear thundering from a club at 2am. As someone with ADHD the line “I’m on a focused distraction continuum baby” rang particularly true to me and has officially become part of my neurodivergent metaphor lexicon, honestly it’s not exactly the context Dylan uses it in his song, he is more talking about love and infatuation, but I struggle to think of a better description of ADHD and I have found myself singing that line in my head and chuckling to myself, it’s brilliant word play and a great example of the talent Dylan has for capturing the human experience in just a few words.

The B side consists of a single 5 minute track called Living Your Way it is an absolutely beautiful ode to classic kiwi singer songwriters like Sir Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga and Crowded House and has a timeless quality to the song that lets it feel as if it could be from any period since 1970 to today. Here Dylan showcases both his vocal talent and smooth melodically rich guitar playing which acts as a nice contrast to the A sides EDM focus.

Dylan Frater is one of the hardest working musicians I have come across, and the work he has put in is evident in this latest release. The songs feel polished, but the kind of polish that can only come from years of experience and dedicated practice. Body of Glass is the first release under the new moniker SOMMR and with the track Continuum already gaining international airplay I have no doubt we will see more… or Dylan will reinvent himself entirely again and release something completely different, either way I’m excited to see what he will do next.