In preparation for their own pandemic-inspired album, duo Plastic Rhino has been releasing singles gearing up to their nine-song LP, Terminus.

They recognize that in modern music, streaming services rule the music charts and playing along to their rules gives them a better chance at finding a wider audience. That is why they have released three singles from Terminus so far - “Euphoria Now”, “King” and “Bleeding Heart”.

The tracklist takes a look at the mental and physical space that Atara and Jack Glazer were in during 2020, from the highest moments to the lowest.

“Each song tells a chapter of that year, all the emotions, all the fears,” Atara said. “Every little destructive thing that happened to us in that year. On the bright side of that year though, we actually had time to put into these songs, to sit on them and let them soak, and they are most definitely our strongest and best to date.”

It has been quite a few years since Plastic Rhino released music. After releasing their album Recondition in 2015, they felt that Hollywood had chewed them up and spit them out. They were planning their wedding, working full-time jobs, creating music as ghost writers and bass players for other projects; yet they stayed creative with one another. Song ideas were always shared and tabled for another time. Once they found themselves in isolation in 2020, it was only a matter of time before they reintroduced Plastic Rhino.

“The frustration, anger, depression, anxiety, confusion and stillness that the time off brought created an insane burst of creative song ideas,” Atara said. “I started writing a horror script, and recording song parts [on] my phone almost every day. When the part would finally resonate with me, I would bring it to Jack. He started doing the same, and 13 song concepts were presented to our producer.”

The latest of the singles, “Bleeding Heart”, was inspired by their own relationship. They’ve been together for over a decade, being married for the last five years, and they’ve absolutely experienced bumps in the road. Much like the story of Plastic Rhinos, they’ve come out stronger than ever.

“‘Bleeding Heart’ is about relationships and the messed up road that you travel when you find yourself completely and overwhelmingly in love with someone,” Atara said. “The give and take of love, and how sometimes it almost feels like you are dying because of everything you are giving to the relationship. Especially if the other person isn't feeling the same way. Sometimes you bleed to make the relationship work, and piece it together with Band-Aids to get it through the rough patches. Don't give up on love even when it doesn't love you back.”

Plastic Rhino wants to be known for pushing boundaries and staying just outside the box of whatever musical genre they are trying to be placed in. They’ve experienced so much in the five years they placed the band on hold, and those experiences are the biggest motivation to keep sharing new music.