“The Mirror” chugs along steadily, with Hank Midnight’s suave vocals and hypnotic guitar strumming leading the way as subtle percussion kicks in at 00:56. What lacks for melodic variation is made up for in creative and effective production choices, like the soft backing vocal layering in the second half and flourishes of additional guitar twangs. The vivid lyrics here and throughout his new album of the same name tell of a motel via the characters who inhabit it, as well as attempting to “capture the humanity of the moment and the eternity of that which compels, destroys, connects, and revives the human spirit.” Both the melodic vibes and lyrics here do just that.
Hank Midnight is New Jersey-born and is presently based in Brooklyn, where he moved in April of 2012. Motel is his second full-length, following up an LP and two EPs. The album drops November 9th, and another recommended cut – the more warbled and key-aided “How We Want It”, with some Beck vibes – can be streamed below:
