EXCLUSIVE Review: Mirror:Mirror – Black & White
Artist: Mirror:Mirror
Album: Black & White
Rating: 5/5
Are we witnessing the next big thing in post-hardcore music? It certainly seems that way as I introduce you to the collaborative efforts of Joey Varela (ex-Illusions), Freddy Lopez, JP Mitchell, Mike Ferraris and Jacob Guthrie. Together, these 5 create the unstoppable force that is Mirror:Mirror. The band released their debut single, “Versus” on December 31st, 2013 and it was met with some pretty incredible fan response. They headed into the studio shortly after to begin recording their debut EP, Black & White, which is nothing short of a masterpiece.
It’s worth noting that this band really caught my attention when I heard the way that clean vocalist, Joey Varela, and scream artist Freddy Lopez collaborate between each other on “Versus”. Upon taking a closer listen, I began to notice the technicality that comes from each and every artist. Clearly, they knew what they were doing when they set out to record this EP. If that wasn’t enough, we get the added guest vocalist Shawn Christmas (Chango Studios) who has wowed fans in the past with his collaborations between his production work and the bands he works with. That particular track “The Blackout” is the first I was able to hear from the EP and, honestly, one of my most played from the EP since I received it. Again, just like with every other track, we get an incredibly tight-knit, top-notch performance from each and every band member, as well as Christmas on this one. The heaviest track on the EP, “Monster” is about feeling like you’ve hit rock bottom, feeling alone and realizing just what you’ve become to get to that point. When you’re at your lowest, all you want is support, love and to know that everything will be okay in the end. Lyrically, this track hits home the hardest by far. It’s also definitely my favorite. The final track I want to talk about is “She-Wolf” which the band will be releasing a music video for very soon. This track’s theme is pretty obvious from the title, but I’ll indulge you anyway: It’s about putting your all into a relationship, only to find out it was based on dishonesty, fallacy and illusion. We’ve all been there, having that feeling in the back of your mind that you’re being toyed with, continuing on and finding out the hard way that you were wrong. Despite all she’s done wrong to you, you still see no one but her… you only want to fix it, but deep down, you know that you are better off. All you can do is pick yourself up, brush yourself off and put yourself back together with the help of those closest to you.
The EP, clocking in at just under 18 minutes contains some of the best vocal work, musicianship and production I’ve heard in years proving that the misconception that Chango Studios churns out nothing but “genericore” is false. If you haven’t heard “Versus” yet, I recommend you going to check it out and pick up your copy of Black & White coming soon! You don’t want to sleep on this auditory masterpiece! Check it out below:
“Black & White” (Official Stream)
“She-Wolf” (Official Music Video)
