Sweet Pill’s sophomore album, Still There’s a Glow, is a hard-fought document of self-reflection and growth. It is raw and real, stacked with a lyrical honesty that’s matched by singer Zayna Youssef’s soaring, expressive vocals. Written and recorded in the wake of a whirlwind three years following their 2022 debut LP, Where the Heart Is–and after scrapping essentially an entire album’s worth of demos–Still There’s a Glow is a dynamic, cathartic journey of making conscious change within oneself.
“I went through some depression last spring, and then I went into therapy. It was also a big turning point in my life as I was about to turn 30, while I’d written our first record when I was graduating from college–that’s a big change,” Youssef explains. “I could’ve kept making bad choices because they’re easy, but I had to come clean to myself. Half the album was written before and the other half after, so the songs are kind of hard on myself but some are also hopeful, with a light at the end of the tunnel. You put out a fire, there’s still an ember that’s still glowing–that’s the record. It’s about being at a low and climbing out of it.”
The close-knit New Jersey/Philadelphia quintet had been going virtually nonstop since the release of Where the Heart Is (Topshelf). They went on tour with bands including La Dispute and The Wonder Years, embarked on their own headlining runs–organically growing a devoted fanbase with their passionate live show, which Stereogum has lauded as “an immensely charming powerhouse…songs that obliterate the distinctions between power and finesse, between pop and hardcore, between emo and the larger continuum of crowd-pleasing rock ‘n’ roll.” The young band earned co-signs from stars like Hayley Williams and Doja Cat, while continuing to tour nonstop worldwide and play festivals like Best Friends Forever, Riot Fest, and Outbreak.
