New Jersey’s Giveth, a cinematic, industrial, dark-pop duo comprised of Jessica Hottman (Sun Cycles) and Ben Petty (ManDancing), blends synths with guitars, bass, drums, and big layered female vocals.
Their latest offering, Mourning Glory, is an honest, emotional glimpse at grief, anxiety, and depression, particularly living in the modern age of doom scrolling and the daily dread of “what fresh hell is this?” The feelings are inescapable: 24/7 news, social media, TikTok warnings about nonstop scrolling. Their sound brings to mind Tori Amos, Kate Bush, and Fiona Apple, with a dash of 90s Britpop for flair.
Hottman clarifies the melancholy song a bit further:
“Mourning Glory is…about those first moments of morning, when I open my eyes and I am hit with that gut-wrenching, inescapable feeling of anxiety. Some days it seems to weigh so heavily upon my human spirit, that I don’t feel like getting up out of bed. I wanted to personify the idea of glory – by turning her into a fictional and mythical character that has died. I am mourning ‘Glory,’ and realizing that she no longer exists in the morning for me – I guess it’s a bit of a play on words. Ultimately, it’s an honest look at life in all of its mental illness, sadness, darkness, and inevitable dread.”
Petty built the track on an old Casio keyboard. “We took this motif and just kept building and adding to it, giving it different layers and emotions,” says Hottman. “I think the song feels like little cycles, repeating, swelling, and growing, yet the same …which is also how I feel about waking up each day.”
Listen to “Mourning Glory” below:
Giveth’s mature and realized sound is evident in their debut album, titled Wasteland. The album was released on all platforms last October. One of their songs from the record called New Blood was written for a Friday the 13th movie soundtrack. The duo is gearing up for multiple releases this year, including singles, music videos, and a live studio session. Looking forward to hearing more.
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Giveth photo by Mark Jaworski
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