Within the UK, there are a select few burgeoning icons, artists that push the boundaries with their musical output while embodying a presence across all mediums that feeds into mass intrigue and curiosity. London-based rapper, poet and producer John Glacier is one of the few that can lay claim to this status. After years of garnering intrigue across the mainstream and underground, John Glacier will finally release her debut album, Like A Ribbon, via Young on 14th February 2025. To celebrate the announcement, Glacier has unveiled the album’s lead single, ‘Found’.
Buy/Stream the track HERE
Referring to the seamlessly never-ending threads of relationships and responsibilities that overlay to form the ribbon of modern existence, Like A Ribbon finds John Glacier providing an accurate snapshot of her life as it has played out on her meteoric rise; from an insular, simple existence growing up in Hackney, to projecting stories to the world while aiming to maintain a semblance of normalcy in what is a very extraordinary life. Executive producer Kwes Darko helps to lay the sonic tapestry for the weaving of John’s own tale, alongside contributions from the likes of Flume, Mk.gee contributor Andrew Aged, Surf Gang, Eartheater, Sampha and more. Like A Ribbon is the story of living in a modern world, told through an imaginatively otherworldly lens.
‘Found’ is the perfect example of Like A Ribbon’s deft, quietly emotive atmospheres. Produced by Kwes Darko, ‘Found’ is an uplifting mantra that provides a light at the end of the tunnel from everyday struggles. Over air-like textures and stretched vocal samples, John Glacier expresses determination to break through the dark days in her signature meditative flow, with sub-heavy bass and jersey club inspired percussion anchoring the track’s euphoric but no less hard-hitting tones.
A highly feted vocalist whose work was subject to huge demand even before her debut project SHILOH: Lost For Words was released, John Glacier has pushed the boundaries of what defines UK rap with a diaristic approach that shines a light on the mundanities of everyday life and the complexities of human emotion, all through her own unique phrasing and perspectives. This sensibility, alongside her own externally perpetuated mythology, has also provided allure for the fashion world, with John becoming one of the faces of and providing bespoke poetry for Daniel Lee‘s iconic debut campaign for Burberry, as well finding fans in the likes of Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, J.W. Anderson and so many more. Her debut album Like A Ribbon gives John Glacier the platform to explore the outer reaches of her immersive sound, traversing her own psyche in a way that’s both abstracted and wholly relatable. Her poetic style takes centre stage on the LP, defining modern life as a young woman growing up in Hackney; tied to the place she was born while existing on a whole other plane.
Praise for John Glacier:
“Mingling catharsis and mystery… a major new voice” – The Guardian
“There’s a sense that Glacier won’t remain a hidden treasure for much longer.” – Crack
“John Glacier’s confessional dictaphone raps sound like intimate notes to self, intended for one listener only.” – Pitchfork
“The rapper with renegade blood whose bars contain multitudes – past, present and future” – DAZED
John Glacier
Like A Ribbon
(Young)
Released 14th February 2025
Pre-order the album & merch HERE
Digital tracklist:
- Satellites
- Don’t Cover Me
- Money Shows (feat. Eartheater)
- Emotions
- Nevasure
- Steady As I Am
- Found
- Home
- Ocean Stepping (feat. Sampha)
- Dancing In The Rain
- Heaven’s Sent
LP + CD tracklist:
- Satellites
- Don’t Cover Me
- Money Shows (feat. Eartheater)
- Emotions
- Nevasure
- Steady As I Am
- Grands!
- Cows Come Home
- Whole Or None
- Poster
- Found
- Home
- Ocean Stepping (feat. Sampha)
- Dancing In The Rain
- Heaven’s Sent
John Glacier: Instagram
