For some time now there has been a rather large pretentious, artsy, fartsy shaped hole in contemporary mainstream indie. Mirrors a UK synth pop act from Brighton may be the band to fill this particular void, Lights and Offerings is the groups debut album and if your in need of an 80′s revival then this is for you.
A big part of both the success and failure of this album lie’s in the bands musical direction. From start to finish it screams early 80′s synth pop and electronica and although its a great sound which has been attempted without strength or conviction in the last few years at points it feels overbearing and even gimmicky. The problem is and its a problem a lot of bands have (Cage The Elephants Happy Birthday LP from earlier this year is a good example too) Mirrors play too close to the sounds and styles of their musical influences (which range from Depeche Mode to OMD) that a big part of the album comes across as more imitation than inspiration.
Thats not to say that its a bad album, far from it its actually really pretty good and certainly enjoyable, tracks like Into The Heart are catchy as hell and theres a lot of rich, colourful melodies to soak in throughout its just that I didnt get any sense of identity from Mirrors. The album was so cleanly cut, precise and tightly wound to a specific formula that it felt devoid of character. There’s a lot of potential for this band but to realise it to the fullest they need to separate themselves from the sounds they love a little and begin to imply what works into something more distinct. Overall a good listen with some great tunes well that is as long as your not allergic to synthesizers and quasi dark atmospheres.
7/10
