All about the journey: Phoenix-based Glixen prepares national tour in support of 'She Only Said'

Talking about heading out on the road and touring for the first time stirs up a lot of emotions for Aislinn Ritchie.

“I can’t think that far ahead,” she says shyly. “This is our first national tour and I want it to be an experience that we never forget.”

Ritchie is the mastermind behind the Phoenix-based shoegaze Glixen.

The band was founded in 2020, when Ritchie enlisted guitarist Esteban Santana, drummer Keire Johnson and bassist Sonia Garcia.

The band performed for nearly three years and ended up performing alongside bands such as Narrow Head, Cowgirl Clue, MSPAINT, Hotline TNT and They Are Gutting A Body of Water.

All about the journey: Phoenix-based Glixen prepares national tour in support of 'She Only Said'

Glixen released the EP, “She Only Said,” on Aug. 11. The band will perform at Launchpad on Sunday, Feb. 11.

“She Only Said,” the band’s debut EP, was released through Julia’s War Records.

The band is also working on its sophomore EP, which is due to be released later this year.

It’s shaping up to be a big year for the band, with more singles and an EP on the way, tours opening for Soft Cult and Glitterer, and appearances at SXSW, Treefort and Nothing’s Slide Away Festival.

Glixen continues to push the genre by utilizing a playful approach; incorporating ethereal pop vocals and shimmering guitars that guide you toward the feeling of true self-expression.

Ritchie says the band started in July 2020 while she was figuring out her next step.

Touring had stopped and music venues closed across the country.

“I didn’t want it to be this way,” she says. “Then I had an idea for the band and I went for it.”

Growing up, Ritchie was always mesmerized by the music of Beach House and The Marias. Then she gravitated towards The Cocteau Twins.

“I was so drawn to how dreamy they all were,” she says. “As I got older, I entered the shoegaze world. I listened to My Bloody Valentine for a whole year, falling in love with the genre.”

Ritchie is the driving force behind the band’s sound – but she’s quick to say it’s a team effort.

“I like to come up with the chords, the vocals and the mood of the song,” she says. “For ‘She Only Said,’ I wrote that in my house and I spent hours. Esteban helped me and we would write together. He would start playing and I would change a note and keep that up until we really felt it. Everything was very organic. Then we would teach Sonia the bass part and Kiere would join in on drums. It comes together really well.”

As the band has climbed its way up in the music industry, she is waiting for the moment when music and her home life become one.

“I just don’t want it to be separate,” she says. “Right now, it feels like I’m doing the work. There are moments on stage where I feel really emotional. I try not to think about it so I don’t cry. When I look out at the crowd, I see all the people that came to see us, paid money to see us perform. It’s overwhelming.”