Up-and-coming U.S. electronic musician SamWaise offers another compelling new single from his album Tragedies and Truths. The track "Held Under Glass," a haunting and cinematic entry, reveals an instrumental deviation into the pile of emotionally driven EDM. This dark and pulsing song captures the complexities of internal conflicts, although it conveys none of its meaning.
From the first translucent sounds, SamWaise develops the tension quickly with faraway or ethereal synths that swell, retreat, and progressively build with every breath. The driving percussion force is relentless, feels like a heartbeat in a small box, and the ambient textures appear to drift alone, happy but alone. In the category of instrumental pieces, the track takes full advantage of vocal exclusion, and this is a good and great thing: The track feels as though the musical measures have become a unified articulation for unarticulated discontentment, and that altered emotion flows into a resolution.
While the song is heavy with feeling, it resonates with listeners. With over 6,200 streams, 3,500 unique listeners, and 467 saves within the first month (July 23–August 19, 2025) of its release, "Held Under Glass" demonstrates how SamWaise's early work as an artist and storyteller is effective.
He has shown a deep-rooted skill for weaving emotional narrative into dynamic EDM structures, and this track is one of the most immersive moments in that exploratory process. “Held Under Glass” is more than beats and bass: it gives listeners a chance to escape sonically, and reminds us: there exist unnameable battles and colorful strength within us all, a magical ability that music can mirror.