Alt-pop duo counterglow arrive fully formed on their debut album echoes of Self—a luminous, inward-looking record that feels less like a first statement and more like a quiet revelation. The collaborative project of indie artists Lauren Goodley and Jonas Grell, counterglow exists in the soft-focus space between dream and intention, where feeling leads and genre gently dissolves.
Blending dream-pop haze, indie-soul warmth, modern psychedelia, lush synth textures, and jazzy grooves, counterglow crafts a sound that drifts and glimmers. Goodley’s soft, echoing vocals float through shimmering synths and elastic rhythms, guiding listeners through a universe where emotion, imagination, and atmosphere intertwine. It’s music that feels like running through a sunlit flower field—then suddenly lifting off, weightless, into orbit.
Echoes of self was never meant to be an album. What began as carefree late-night experimentation—songs made purely for the joy of creating—slowly revealed its own gravity. The first track they wrote, “soon,” changed everything. “We realized, oh wow, this is something special,” the duo recall. “We should make more.” That instinct became the record’s quiet engine: curiosity first, expectation last.
Initially, the songs were set to be released under Goodley’s name, with Grell in the producer’s chair. But as the music deepened, the distinction blurred. What emerged wasn’t a solo project with accompaniment—it was a shared voice. Counterglow was born as a name for that collective identity, one that felt honest, balanced, and true to the way the songs were being made.
At its core, echoes of self traces the emotional roadmap of early adulthood: the pressure to succeed, the spiral of overthinking, loneliness, the relief of connection, and the slow, necessary process of surrender. Each track reflects recurring inner conversations—self-doubt, growth, acceptance—like refrains that keep returning until they finally soften. “This album is about realizing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be,” the duo explains. It’s a sentiment that resonates quietly, long after the final notes fade.
Sonically, the record moves with ease through ethereal dreamscapes, psychedelic synth explorations, and atmospheric grooves, nodding to artists like Tame Impala, Beach House, SAULT, Blood Orange, Crumb, Cleo Sol, Raveena, and The Marías. Still, it never feels derivative. There’s a gentleness to Counterglow’s approach—a sense of restraint—that gives the music its own gravity, its own magic.
Track highlights underline that emotional arc. Opener “echoes” unfolds cinematically, confronting the inner critic and naming the self as its own greatest obstacle. “soon” pulses with a restless groove, an anthem for anyone always sprinting toward what’s next instead of standing still. “control” offers a shift in perspective—a feel-good love groove built on release rather than resistance. “grow” is raw and unguarded, with the final vocal take preserved from the original demo to keep its imperfect, human honesty intact. “dunno where it’s going” soundtracks late-night overthinking, while “new car” closes the journey with a cosmic road trip of self-return, connection, and belonging.
With echoes of self, counterglow don’t chase clarity—they arrive at it slowly, song by song, echo by echo. It’s a debut that trusts feeling over flash, intimacy over spectacle, and in doing so, makes a lasting impression. As the duo look ahead to future releases already in the works, one thing feels certain: counterglow are only just beginning to explore the full reach of their orbit.
