The Reds, Pinks and Purples

There may be no greater constant to the site than Glenn Donaldson, a chameleonic force that’s cropped up here over the years with The Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums, The Birdtree and notable collabs like 43 Odes, Painted Shrines and Flying Canyon. Over the last few years it’s been The Reds, Pinks and Purples that have cemented Glenn as not just a force on the fringes, but a consummate pop bard with a bruised heart. After a handful of essentials on Slumberland and Tough Love, Fire Records scooped up a singles collection last year, opening the doors for his first full length with the new label in 2026. Acknowledge Kindness still salts some of the same wounds as his past outings; ruminating on loneliness, dashed dreams, the ideals of expectation, and the pitfalls of cynicism. This time, though, the brushes are finer, the colors deeper.

Glenn has noted that this is his swerve toward a bigger record, specifically citing California by American Music Club and 16-Lover’s Lane by The Go-Betweens. Eschewing the myriad pitfalls of those who translate intimacy onto a grander scale, the new record only amplifies the anguish and anxiety that crested out of his quiet comforts in the past, burning them into celluloid wonders rendered in vibrant hues. Acknowledge Kindness succeeds in its aims, smudging the soul with the same kind of ink and oil darkness that permeated the 4AD and Rough Trade catalogs through the ‘80s. It was easy to get lost inside of records wrapped in strings, strums, and the kind of lament that seemed to sluice right through the listener. Here, it’s clear that Glenn has spent a lifetime braised in those sounds, and the alchemy that he’s worked feels like a resonant realization of what RPP’s were created for in the first place. There’s probably not a pop record on the dock for 2026 that’s gonna hurt and heal quite like Acknowledge Kindness.

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