Glass Towers

Sounding like a mix between fellow natives New Navy and Oxford's Foals the forever growing Indie scene in Australia gets another beautiful addition to the line up in the form of Glass Towers. With the spring time finally arriving here in the UK Jumanji makes for its perfect accompaniment with its tropical vibe doused in breeezy harmonies. With splashes of a wistful longing backed with pulsating guitars and vibrant percussion Glass Towers excel in all the right places. Check out the official video below. - Scientists Of Sound

Australian four-piece Glass Towers bring to mind something very specific across their new single, ‘Jumanji’. Like the title would suggest, the tumbling beats and sun-scorched guitar lines evoke simpler, innocent times, when there was nothing more pressing than choosing which hill to giddily roll down.

Having received support by the taste-making Triple J back home, the group come to these shores soon to play both The Great Escape and some London dates in the near future, with an EP set for release over here too.

Until then though, find a hill and get rolling. This is summer jammed into three-and-a-half minutes of loveliness. - When The Gramophone Rings

Sydney, Australia band Glass Towers’ EP ‘Collarbone Jungle’ (out now via Hub) provides the perfect 5-track soundtrack for youth and discovery. The EP is the sound of a band clearly defining their sound and their message as they enter their 20’s, as young men.
Originally born as a solo recording project of frontman Benjamin Hannam, Glass Towers were forged in the summer of 2008 with the addition of guitarist Sam Speck, bassist Cameron Holdstock and drummer Daniel Muszynski. - Fame Magazine (UK)

Two Door Cinema Club. Vampire Weekend. Jinja Safari. You’re a fan, right? Then Glass Towers should be your cup of tea. Their latest single, “Jumanji,” is a tropical, guitar-laden number that bears the mark of the aforementioned artists. The track actually came out in their native Australia last year, but will be included in the re-release of their debut Collarbone Jungle EP, which should hopefully give the band a proper introduction to the rest of the world. Stream it below, and keep an eye out for their debut LP this September.

STREAM: Glass Towers – Collarbone Jungle EP - All Things Go Music

Two Door Cinema Club. Vampire Weekend. Jinja Safari. You’re a fan, right? Then Glass Towers should be your cup of tea. Their latest single, “Jumanji,” is a tropical, guitar-laden number that bears the mark of the aforementioned artists. The track actually came out in their native Australia last year, but will be included in the re-release of their debut Collarbone Jungle EP, which should hopefully give the band a proper introduction to the rest of the world. Stream it below, and keep an eye out for their debut LP this September.

STREAM: Glass Towers – Collarbone Jungle EP - All Things Go Music

Glass Towers are a lovely indie pop outfit who released their second EP yesterday and ‘Jumanji’ is a cut from that. What you find are playful guitar riffs interspersed with bursts of energy all accompanied by a dream-like vocal, which swirls around the mix as the song progresses. This is a track written by accomplished musicians and considering they’re all entering their 20s that’s an exciting prospect. Their debut album is something on the horizon and I’m sure you’ll be keeping your ear to the ground for news when it’s near to arriving. - Shout 4 Music

What a perfect day for new Glass Towers. The Australian four piece return with 'Halcyon', the first single to be taken from their debut album due out this July. Building on the success of their previous tracks it's safe to say this Aussie band sure know a thing or two about conjuring up the most desirable, sun-kissed, Indie/Pop anthems. With glistening guitars and a powerful backdrop formed by their driving percussion you can't help but fall in love with Glass Towers' joyous music. Add in Benjamin Hannam's dynamic, commandeering voice and you have nothing short of amazing.

With up and coming shows in Brisbane and Adelaide with The Kooks, then heading off to the UK and Japan the summer looks set to be a busy one for the boys down under. Let the album anticipation commence.

Halcyon will be released 3rd May 2013. - Scientists Of Sound

Just over a week we featured the tumbling, summery ‘Jumanji’, by Australian four-piece Glass Towers, musing that its ‘sun-scorched guitar lines evoke simpler, innocent times, when there was nothing more pressing than choosing which hill to giddily roll down.’

New single and title-track of their upcoming debut album has slightly more bark and slightly more bite than ‘Jumanji’, and quickly sets up camp as a neat little turbo-charged pop-rocker.

It’s not a millions miles away from Two Door in parts, but with vocalist Ben Hannam’s voice drifting into a delicate falsetto and possessing an edge beyond his years, this offers something more interesting. More vital. - When The Gramophone Rings

Glass Towers shed the afro-pop on new single “Halcyon.” While “Jumanji” channeled the summer stylings of Vampire Weekend and Jinja Safari, the Sydney outfit’s latest venture is all about driving instrumentals and explosive choruses. There are plenty of moments when the vocals and guitars are once again reminiscent of Two Door Cinema Club, but nobody ever said that’s a bad thing. With “Halcyon,” Glass Towers are quickly proving they’ve got the chops to write big indie rock anthems worthy of larger stages. Stream it below.

Stay tuned for a release of Glass Towers’ Collarbone Jungle EP along with a debut LP, both out later this year.

STREAM: Glass Towers – “Halcyon” - All Things Go Music

Genre: Indie/Rock
For Fans Of: Two Door Cinema Club, The Libertines, 44th Sunset

Forming in the summer of 2008 in the bedroom of frontman, Ben Hannam, for a school project, Glass Towers have come far. The past couple of years have been full of highs for the four-piece indie rock band, with their debut EP ‘What We Were, When We Were’ being produced by ARIA award winning producer Wayne Connolly, which consisted of four tracks mostly written when the band were just fifteen years old. Glass Towers went on to earning themselves spots at festivals such as Splendour in the Grass, sharing stages with some of Australia’s most noted such as Cloud Control, Bluejuice and Tame Impala.

The bands latest EP ‘Collarbone Jungle’ introduces a mixture of tropical chords and soaring choruses reflecting the bands growth and maturity of entering their 20’s, but still keeping the honest and naïve nature. The EP arrives just in time to accompany an essential summer soundtrack and gives a taste of the bands forthcoming debut album ‘Halcyon Days’ set to be released in July.
- The White Noise

Australian indie band Glass Towers made a splash not too long ago with their ‘What we were, when we were’ EP in 2011.

Since then their star has risen even higher and now they are back with its follow up ‘Collarbone Jungle’(out now via Hub).
These releases are perfect representations of what this talented young band have to offer music fans across the globe and of course act as a nice for just what a full blown album may hold for us all.

Fame’s Phil Allely caught up Glass Towers’ frontman Benjamin Hannam, recently to learn more about them and the music they purvey.

So Ben first up where did the band name come from?

Unfortunately there’s no story behind our name, I wish there was something interesting to say here. “Glass Towers” was just something I randomly came up with out of necessity.

While we are on the subject of starting out. Can you give our readers an insight into how Glass Towers formed?

Glass Towers started out as a solo project of mine in high school. I was recording a lot of demos in my bedroom and needed a band to bring those songs to a live setting, we all went to the same high school and attended the same music class so it all fell into place really easily. Sam (guitar) and I were already good friends and I’d been in the same schools as Cameron (bass) and Daniel (drums) since I was 6.

Wonderful, its always nice to hear how bands got together. Can you give us an idea of who (musically) inspires the band?

Well this is a cliché answer but there are just way too many musicians that inspire us to list here. But conceptually our first two EP’s and our upcoming album are all based around my own thoughts and adventures at the age of 17 and 18, when I was younger and wilder.

Your first EP (What we are, when we are) was very well received. What did those rave reviews feel like when they started coming in?

It was pretty surreal especially since we were still only about 18 around the time that EP was released. We supported a lot of great artists and have some very fond memories of that whole period.GLASS TOWERS LIVEWhat can we expect from this new EP ‘Collarbone Jungle’

Compared to our first EP I think the song writing on ‘Collarbone Jungle’ is a lot more mature and I feel as though we’ve reached the kind of ‘sound’ that we’ve always been striving to achieve.

Can we assume an album is something you are building up to. If so have you any material already prepared for it?

We started recording it in March 2012 and finished it in February of this year so it was a pretty long process. It took so long to record because we were touring a lot last year and because I tend to get pretty OCD in the studio and so everything has to be perfect.

We recorded it with Jean Paul Fung (JP) who recently recorded the album of another Australian band called Last Dinosaurs. JP is in my humble opinion one of the best Producer/Engineers in Australia and easily the most exciting Producer in Australia at the moment. He was the perfect guy for the job.

We hear you will be promoting the new EP here in the UK later this month. What can UK fans expect from a live set by Glass Towers?

A lot of on stage energy fueled by spiced rum and our constant lust for life.

Have you played the UK before?

No but we’re so excited to be heading to the motherland! We finish an Australian tour with The Kooks on the 11th of May then we’re literally jumping on a plane to Heathrow the next day and then we play our first London show only four hours after we land – so hopefully our flight isn’t delayed!

We’re also heading to Japan to meet our Japanese record label for the first time and play some shows. We were supposed to play SXSW and tour the US this year in March but a couple of weeks before we were due to fly out one of us had to have a knee operation so we had to cancel.

What is the indie music scene like in Australia. Was it easy enough for you as band to get live gigs and build a fan base?

The music scene over here is booming, especially in Brisbane and Melbourne. It’s not as strong as it used to be in Sydney because a lot of venues are closing down but I think that in turn brings the Sydney music community a lot closer.

What does the rest of 2013 hold for Glass Towers. Have you any tours or festival appearances lined up?

Our debut album is coming out in Australia, New Zealand and Japan this July (it will be a little later for the UK) and we’ll be doing a lot of touring this year. It’s heading into Winter in Australia right now so we can’t wait to make it through the cold part of the year and into the Summer festival months ahead!

Finally where would you like to see yourselves in five years time?

Doing exactly what we’re doing right now but on a higher level and not having gotten sick of each over!

By Phil Allely ©FAMEMAGAZINE.co.uk - Fame Magazine (UK)

After the success of their single “Jumanji” back in February, we’ve had to wait way too long for some more from Sydney’s Glass Towers. Their excuse has been a myriad of tours, combined with the completion of their second EP Collarbone Jungle. Produced by Jean-Paul Fung (Last Dinosaurs, Bluejuice), it’s bound to be packed full of upbeat, highly addictive indie rock – especially if their latest single “Tonight” is anything to go by.

Heavier than “Jumanji,” the emphasis this time is on deep bass lines and frantic, throbbing guitar riffs. Frontman Ben Hannam says “it is made up of a multitude of my own experiences, of all the house parties I went to when I was in high school.” You can definitely feel a nostalgic undertone in this track.

With a bunch of shows coming up in support of the EP launch, Glass Towers are sure to make up for our patience with plenty more music. Collarbone Jungle is out later this month. - Indie Shuffle, US

Glass Towers was started by lead singer/songwriter Ben Hannam, working out of his bedroom in the picturesque coastal town of Byron Bay, near Sydney, Australia. In 2008, he met his future band-mates in a high school music class.

Jump ahead four years and the band has just released its first official single, Jumanji - a lively, tropical track filled with breezy chords and gargantuan choruses. “The album itself has been a work in progress for the last two to three years but Jumanji is actually one of the older songs,” explains Hannam. “Most of the tracks we’ve either never played live before, or we’ve had to play more stripped back guitar-heavy versions because there’s only four of us on stage.”

Made up of guitarist Sam Speck, bassist Cameron Holdstock and drummer Daniel Muszynski, they released their first EP ‘What We Were, When We Were’ in 2011, built mostly of Hannam’s solo material from those lonely, youthful summer days. Glass Towers's sound falls somewhere between The Vines and Brisbane power pop band, Last Dinosaurs. A recent collaborator is Jean-Paul Fung, known for his work with other Australian bands including The Galvatrons and Little Red.

"I’d describe our sound as a childhood raised on Simon & Garfunkel, Roxy Music and Neil Diamond, instead of classic luminaries such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan,” says Hannam. “When I was 12 I discovered Franz Ferdinand’s debut album, which opened up a whole new musical world for me. I stopped listening to Led Zeppelin and started listening to Joy Division."

Though extensive radio profiling has helped rocket Glass Towers into the public consciousness, the boys' biggest break came last year when they were approached by New Zealand music progenitor Neil Finn. He asked the band to join him on the debut tour of his new group, Pajama Club, which saw the boys undertake a whistle-stop tour along Australia's east coast.

“It was incredible,” says Hannam. “He is just such a genuine and kind person and it was such a privilege to share the same stage with him night after night.”

With Jumanji getting acclaim, the band head back into the recording studio next month to work on their upcoming debut album – with a couple of gigs planned before then. “Our next two shows will be our first proper time out in the light,” says Hannam. “We’re touring with an extra member playing keys and sampler so that we can finally perform the songs how they were originally intended to be performed. We’re pretty excited, but we’re also nervous at the same time about showing them off.” (@HughLangley)
- MYMZK - 004

Glass Towers was started by lead singer/songwriter Ben Hannam, working out of his bedroom in the picturesque coastal town of Byron Bay, near Sydney, Australia. In 2008, he met his future band-mates in a high school music class.

Jump ahead four years and the band has just released its first official single, Jumanji - a lively, tropical track filled with breezy chords and gargantuan choruses. “The album itself has been a work in progress for the last two to three years but Jumanji is actually one of the older songs,” explains Hannam. “Most of the tracks we’ve either never played live before, or we’ve had to play more stripped back guitar-heavy versions because there’s only four of us on stage.”

Made up of guitarist Sam Speck, bassist Cameron Holdstock and drummer Daniel Muszynski, they released their first EP ‘What We Were, When We Were’ in 2011, built mostly of Hannam’s solo material from those lonely, youthful summer days. Glass Towers's sound falls somewhere between The Vines and Brisbane power pop band, Last Dinosaurs. A recent collaborator is Jean-Paul Fung, known for his work with other Australian bands including The Galvatrons and Little Red.

"I’d describe our sound as a childhood raised on Simon & Garfunkel, Roxy Music and Neil Diamond, instead of classic luminaries such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan,” says Hannam. “When I was 12 I discovered Franz Ferdinand’s debut album, which opened up a whole new musical world for me. I stopped listening to Led Zeppelin and started listening to Joy Division."

Though extensive radio profiling has helped rocket Glass Towers into the public consciousness, the boys' biggest break came last year when they were approached by New Zealand music progenitor Neil Finn. He asked the band to join him on the debut tour of his new group, Pajama Club, which saw the boys undertake a whistle-stop tour along Australia's east coast.

“It was incredible,” says Hannam. “He is just such a genuine and kind person and it was such a privilege to share the same stage with him night after night.”

With Jumanji getting acclaim, the band head back into the recording studio next month to work on their upcoming debut album – with a couple of gigs planned before then. “Our next two shows will be our first proper time out in the light,” says Hannam. “We’re touring with an extra member playing keys and sampler so that we can finally perform the songs how they were originally intended to be performed. We’re pretty excited, but we’re also nervous at the same time about showing them off.” (@HughLangley)
- MYMZK - 004

Sydney band Glass Towers latest single Jumanji has been receiving high rotation on triple j and FBi playlists. The track presents breezy tropical chords, smart snappy guitar interplay, epic soaring choruses (featuring the beautiful, serene voice of upcoming Sydney songstress Jordan Leser) and young love on long wistful carefree weekends.

The single was produced and mixed by Jean-Paul Fung (JP) a young in-demand producer known for his work with Birds Of Tokyo, Bluejuice and Last Dinosaurs. Guy Davies (Bloc Party, Foals) put the final touches on the song at Electric Mastering.

The band were born out of a solo recording project of frontman Ben Hannam, and forged in the summer of 2008 with the addition of guitarist Sam Speck, bassist Cameron Holdstock and drummer Daniel Muszynski.

The past couple of years have seen the band walk a path of highs, from having ARIA Award winning producer Wayne Connolly ask to take the helm of their 2011 debut EP What We Were, When We Were. To having the legendary Neil Finn personally select and invite the band on tour with him (in support of his latest musical project Pajama Club).

They’ve also earned spots at festivals such as Splendour In The Grass, and kept up a relentless touring schedule along the way.

Listen: Glass Towers – Jumanji

WRITTEN BY BRAYDEN DARKE ON 3RD FEBRUARY, 2012 - Music Feeds

Sounds like: Foals, New Navy, Last Dinosaurs

What's so good?
The indie pop scene is booming in Australia, so it’s very difficult for a song to stand out from the crowd. Sydney band Glass Towers has done this with their new track “Jumanji.” Formed in 2008 after meeting in the serene coastal town of Byron Bay, the four-piece are a band brimming with potential.

They released an EP in 2011 entitled What We Were, When We Were and have played at the Splendour in the Grass Festival among other shows, sharing the stage with the likes of Tame Impala, Metronomy and Neil Finn. Some serious pedigree indeed, especially after working with celebrated producer Jean-Paul Fung, known for his work with numerous Australian bands.

“Jumanji” gives off a beautiful tropical vibe from the get-go, with electrifying sparkling guitar lines Australian bands are renowned for. Coupled with towering choruses and throbbing percussion, this track is bound to receive heavy attention. Perfect for those weekends you never want to end.

Hugh - 5th Feb 2012 - Indie Shuffle, US

Thursday 15th Sep, 2011 by the momerath
Sydneysiders Glass Towers were first on the bill and certainly made their mark from the start. It didn’t take long for the crowds to get moving, as the youthful indie rockers showed impressive command of their audience. Their reputation preceded them, it seemed, as the introduction of their better known track Castles demanded massive cheers and even bigger dancing from attendees. .... their catchy tunes were undeniably infectious and left audiences reeling long after the set.
- Fasterlouder

Tuesday 13th Sep, 2011 by luce
First to take to the stage was indie rock outfit, Glass Towers. The four band members may look like they have only just finished school, yet their performance was far from amateur. Making a grungy rock sound with punchy lyrics, the band played a strong assortment of guitar driven songs. Despite apologies from vocalist Ben Hannam for his voice being, ‘a bit bad tonight’, due to sickness, he still managed to offer an impressively emphatic vocal delivery similar to that of Alex Turner. The most interesting songs were the ones that started out with smooth atmospheric guitar, leading into heavier, pounding choruses.Limo the Lion and Paint did this best, with both songs using a strong punctuated beat. Playing to a fair sized crowd, Glass Towers set a strong precedent for the following acts. - Fasterlouder

After a speedy stage set up, Byron Bay teen rockers “Glass Towers” hit the stage. Despite having only formed in 2008 and having an average age of 18 they produce a polished performance beyond their years, leaving punters at no loss to work out why triple j chose them as the 2010 unearthed high winners. Lino The Lion and Paint from their soon to be released EP were real crowd pleasers.
- FasterLouder

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of support bands who blow those higher up the bill off the stage, and that’s the case once again tonight. Glass Towers barely look old enough to be in a licensed venue like Woodland, but the young four-piece play a spirited set that gets many onto the dance floor. Their music is built around skittering drums, naggingly-catchy bass and crystalline guitar; they sound a little like We Are Scientists, but have a character and charm that’s all their own. - Rave Magazine

Saturday 26th Feb 2011 by Dave and Kieren
Our second cab off the rank for the night were Glass Towers, consisting of Ben, Sam, Cameron and Daniel who had traveled up from their homebase of Byron Bay. These guys are only young and fresh to the scene but with songs like 'Gloom', 'Holiday' and 'Castles' (Castles definitely my fav from this bunch) you could mistake them for being a band that's been making music for a decade. With some really quick drum beats, rocking bass constantly backing up the guitar and vocals, these guys get you on-board after the first song.
I can guarantee that upon seeing these guys live, you won't leave the room until the set is complete. There's honestly not one bad song in their arsenal! I will certainly be paying close attention to these guys as they progress, but for now you can check them out at Unearthed on the J's website to have a listen to a couple of their songs, or jump onto Myspace - Glass Towers.
ps - what a cool profile pic, done well lads!
- The Sunday Washup

With the amount of grey hair and business suits within the venue, anyone under the age of thirty could have feared that they were the youngest person there. Thankfully, Byron Bay quartet Glass Towers shuffled onto the cramped stage before too long and removed all doubts. These are the kind of kids that cannot remember life before the turn of the century, and have had everything they know about music defined for them by Triple J. There’s a bit of Lost Dinosaurs here, some Bloc Party there (they even nip the dual-guitar style of Banquet at one point), even a little bit of Yves Klein Blue – especially considering frontman Benjamin Hannam is the spitting image of Michael Tomlinson, right down to the double denim.

You can act the cynical bastard all you like, but there’s one thing you can’t take away from Glass Towers – the kids can play. Even when they go through a slump around the middle of the set where each song sounds more or less exactly the same, their energy and engagement with the songs never waned once. They clearly love playing, and have some killer tunes in their repertoire that get quite a few heads bopping about the place. It will only be a matter of time before they’re moving on to bigger and better things – once year twelve is out of the way, of course.
June 13th, 2011 - FasterLouder

IT WAS a good night for baby bands. The opening act called, I think, Glass Towers looked about 12 and played like more than capable 20-year-olds. They seemed to be drawing on influences more commonly found in 30-year-olds. They'll be worth watching. - Sun Herald - Bernard Zuel