GLVES turns stories of identity and ancestry into alt-pop power on massive sounding debut EP, 'Belonging'

Meanjin/Brisbane’s GLVES chooses colour, softness and truth to cut through the world that often demands hardness, which is shown on her debut EP, ‘Belonging’ - which is out now.  

A four-track journey through post-traumatic growth, transforming pain into possibility, and scars into blossoms, with each song carved from lived experience, unearthing stories of identity, ancestry, and healing - binding them together in an alt-pop landscape that is as textured and visceral as it is empowering.

GLVES, a proud First Nations artist, crafts alt-pop that fuses electronic intensity with intimate storytelling. Her performances have lit up stages from Splendour in the Grass and Dark Mofo to Yabun, Blak Day Out and BIGSOUND 2025, each show a multi-sensory experience that pushes beyond music into something immersive and unforgettable.

Over the course of 2025, GLVES has revealed three of the EP’s tracks: ‘Echo’, a ghostly piece of ambient electronica exploring family bonds and memory; ‘Time’, a lush and luminous alt-pop release shimmering with afrobeat-inspired rhythms and glowing synths; and ‘Honesty’, a drum-and-bass anthem that bursts from stripped-back intimacy into frantic energy.

Now, with the final piece revealed, ‘Lost’, written and produced with ARIA Award–winner Rob Amoruso, she delivers the EP’s most haunting statement. Born in the aftermath of the Voice referendum, it opens in fragile intimacy before erupting into raw, dramatic surges, its spectral shifts between stillness and storm mirroring the ache of rejection at its core.

‘Belonging’ is a burst of cathartic energy — a fierce, layered mix of electronica, drum’n’bass, and afro-beat that orbit GLVES’ commanding vocals. She balances strength and vulnerability at the centre of it all, her voice cutting through the chaos like light through smoke. Intensity drives the EP, particularly on the deep, shifting pulse of ‘Lost’, where you can almost feel the tension being burned away. Thematically, Belonging is about growth after destruction — blossoms and green after the bushfire, renewal through release. GLVES has said she “squeezed herself to find the juice,” and what’s here proves it was more than worth the squeeze.

For GLVES, producing ‘Belonging’ was an act of healing. “For a long time, I rejected flowers, I rejected softness. I thought it was weakness, that I had to lean into masculinity to be taken seriously. But flowers have always been part of my lineage… Through this EP, I’ve come to see that softness is its own strength, and that to bloom, even when you’ve known darkness, is a kind of power.”

Extending beyond the EP itself, ‘Belonging’ will be reimagined through a remix pack featuring First Nations artists AROHA, Moss, and Hylander. Each brings their own distinctive imprint, expanding the project into new spaces while staying true to its spirit of reclamation and resilience. Together, these reinterpretations highlight the strength of community and the power of collaboration.

‘Belonging’ is out now on all streaming platforms.