Indie outfit Gal Pal debuted in 2017 with their full-length record “Girlish” The Los Angeles indie outfit Gal Pal have returned with their first new song in over four years. Following the 2019 EP “Unrest/Unfeeling”, “Mirror” is a dreamy fit of gothic West Coast shoegaze. The lyrics are sparse yet repetitive, and vocalist Emelia Austin’s vocals soar across octaves and echo like a chamber choir. “He sees you as his mirror / He sees you as his mirror / I am your mirror / I am your mirror,” Austin sings.
The track was produced by Sami Perez, who’s done past work with Cherry Glazer and Jerry Paper, and her vision lets Gal Pal’s ornate, mystifying sonic palette shine. The highlight is the sputtering, cyclical percussion provided by drummer Nico Romero. “It helped me form the theme of being stuck in a pattern. For me, ‘Mirror’ is about the ways we allow our identities to be misshaped by people in our lives, how we are used as reflections for others, and the anxiety over being able to control it or not,” Austin said in a statement. It’s been six years since Gal Pal’s first record, but “Mirror” suggests what’s forthcoming will be burgeoning with kaleidoscopic adventure. ‘Mirror’ streams everywhere February 21st 2023
“Mirror” is a lustrous and dreamy effort, centered on skittering drum lines and shimmering guitar textures. Producer Sami Perez (Cherry Glazer, Jerry Paper) captures the band in flux, caught in a whirlpool of stuttering patterns and cyclical riffs, one that steadily grows more tense and insistent with each loop. The guitars turn spiked and distorted, the drums turn muscular and pounding, all building to a chaotic apex before the track gives way to a floating synth-tinged reverie. Later, the skittering drum pattern returns once more, now shaded with discordant stabs of synths as the track draws to a close.
‘Mirror’ Written by Gal Pal (Emelia Austin, Nico Romero, Shayna Hahn)
The Fat Angel Sings 