Sons and Daughters - Mirror Mirror (Album)
'Mirror Mirror' is the long awaited fourth release by Scottish indie rock band Sons and Daughters. Produced by JD Twitch of Optimo fame, Mirror Mirror has a mix of Sons and Daughters unique sound, with a bit more of a darker, yet stripped back sound. The darker sound has seemingly been drawn from a number of influences, such as bands like Joy Division/New Order, as well as newspaper articles about a model throwing herself off a balcony, and the story of a 1950’s Hollywood and actress Elisabeth Short, known as the Black Dahlia, who was found dismembered in a field and her killer never found.
Silver Spell is the perfect track to open Mirror Mirror. Originally released at the end of March as a digital download taster of the album, Silver Spell has a brooding sound, with singers Adele Bethel and Scott Patterson’s cutting vocals, it makes for a spine tingling opening track. Orion is a stand out track on the album, which has the perfectly struck a balance between stripped back and Sons and Daughters trade mark sound, making for an interesting combination of the two opposites. Breaking Fun is also another stand out track that demonstrates Sons and Daughters traditional sound perfectly, with strong vocals and harmonies and menacing guitar riffs, Breaking Fun is my favourite track on Mirror Mirror.
My only criticism of Mirror Mirror is the potential it may have to alienate Sons and Daughters fans base, that said, there are tracks such as Don’t Look Now and Breaking Fun that hold true to the traditional Sons and Daughters sound to keep die-hards happy, as well as having the ability to attract new fans with tracks such as Silver Spell.
Compared to Sons and Daughters previous albums, 'Mirror Mirror' is definitely a more stripped back and darker album. Mirror Mirror is definitely a strong album and shows Sons and Daughters ability to pull off a sound that is a contrast to its previous efforts, but still carries their unique sound that has been built over the last eight years. Sons and Daughters has taken the time to make Mirror Mirror possibly one of their best releases.
