If you’re going to something, do it with all you’ve got. That’s how Tyler Glenn approaches everything, from making music to living authentically to creating welcoming spaces for those around him. It’s also a sensibility that’s evident on Neon Trees’ upcoming fifth studio album, slated for spring 2024.
“Our last album came out during the pandemic, and it was a terrible time to put out an album,” Tyler says. “So I focused on what I could control. Most of us were out in orbit, spiraling, but writing music was something I could do. I wrote by myself, I wrote with other artists, and this collection of songs came from that. It taught me a valuable lesson in sticking with your gut. We could have released one-off singles or hopped on a trend, but as a band we’ve always done what we wanted to do and made the type of music we wanted to make. There’s a vein of honesty we’ve always evoked, but this album is as real and as honest as possible.”
Since releasing their debut album, Habits, in 2010, Neon Trees have cemented themselves as a dynamic, engaging band who has consistently put in the work for over a decade. They’ve performed at major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Life Is Beautiful and Bottle Rock, and opened for genre-spanning artists like My Chemical Romance, Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift, as well as headlined sold-out tours of their own. The band has amassed one billion streams and recently logged over 40 million views on TikTok, while garnering acclaim from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today. With each subsequent release, Neon Trees have continued to push upward and onward.
“We had success early on, but hopefully you’re always evolving,” Tyler says. “For me personally, that had a lot do with coming out as gay and taking a real look at the faith I was raised in. I wasn’t being myself, and it affected my relationships and the band. I had a great time burning it all down and rebuilding. That’s led to me being more honest and more open with the people in my life and the people who are listening to my music. Once you release a song it’s no longer yours—it belongs to the audience. With these songs in particular, I wanted to make sure that I was giving away a really honest snapshot and not a curated version of myself. Doing that heals me as much as it does the listener.”