Shy Mirrors, Reactors EP

review by dave heaton

Mike Downey (Wolfie, The New Constitution, The National Splits, etc) has been singing along to his laptop for a while now, and here with Shy Mirrors he's back in front of a loud, ragged rock 'n' roll band. Yet the difference is minimal -- it's still all about DIY creativity and not caring about polishing up all the edges. Direct communication more than creating a product. I tell you what, those loud guitars sound great, paired with hooks and a voice that at this point feels like an old friend. Something about "Change1"'s chorus "why'd you have to change now" is extremely nostalgic for me, feeling very '90s, an era when I spent a lot of time listening to people singing with longing over messy rock sounds. "Reactors" too seems specifically Superchunk-ish. The final track playfully sums up the EP's occasional science and technology leanings, while both poking fun at and defending this whole messing-around-with-music thing: "Astronauts are A-OK / they're just a bunch of boys / astronauts are A-OK / well they're just playing with their toys."

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