Ravary's dazzling new single “Glowing” opens with a confession: “I check my phone for hours / To see if you like what you see,” Justin Ellis tenderly croons over a bouncy drum loop and jangly guitars. After a year-and-half absence, Ellis’ “solo-with-friends” project returns, expanding upon the singer-songwriter foundation of his 2020 debut, Hands to Feel. Synthesizing 80’s baggy dance rhythms with the melodic, guitar-driven sheen of contemporaries like Soccer Mommy and beabadoobee, “Glowing” is a poignant swirl of guitar-pop that sounds distantly familiar, but not nostalgic. “Glowing” gradually embraces you in a warm wall-of-sound, filled with shimmering guitars and soaring harmonies. On the song’s final ascent, Ellis assuredly beams with anthemic optimism, “And your eyes, glow / And my eyes, know / And our lies grow / While the silence overflows” as a simple, but effective slide-guitar solo melody reverberates over chiming guitar roars. It’s hard to blame Ellis for making us wait in-between Ravary releases when he is busy sharing his talents with other illustrious bands such as Easter Island, Flash Car, and al riggs, but “Glowing” is proof of his own incandescent talents, and evolution as an artist. Now more than a decade into his music journey here in the Triangle, Ellis’ music continues to evolve and excite. - Trey Tyler