Stream: Big Search, ‘Infinite Mirror’

Kevin Bronson on August 10th, 2020

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In his solo explorations as Big Search, singer-songwriter Matt Popieluch has mined the fabric of the West Coast psyche (and his own) to make kaleidoscopic folk songs that pull on every frayed edge. His four albums — the last two, “Slow Fascination (2019) and “Life Dollars (’16) for Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records — saw Big Search’s sound evolve to something warmly wraparound, evoking a sun-baked mysticism.

For the new single “Infinite Mirror,” Popieluch teams up with two old friends, Chris Cohen (with whom he played in Cass McCombs’ band back in the day) and Papercuts’ Jason Quever (his old roommate). “I’ve been a huge fan of Chris’ music for a long time, and I heard his voice for the harmony so I asked him to produce and play on it,” Popieluch says. “It was humbling to work with both him and Jason at the same time, two people I greatly admire and respect as artists and people.”

Backed by Quevers, bassist Carl Harders, drummer Amir Kennan and guitarist Tim Ramsey, Popieluch and Cohen harmonize their way through the songwriter’s multi-dimensional quest to “see everything clearer.”

“The ‘Infinite Mirror’ is what we see everything through, as our surroundings become reflections of ourselves,” Popieluch says. “The problems we’re experiencing, we’ve created. Everything is an extension. Every corner offers a new chance to tilt the mirror. Everywhere you look, there are pictures you can divide forever. You are always reflecting off of something. Every direction came out of the past.”

The release of the single follows the pandemic-inspired release of Big Search’s “Channel Islands” EP, a collection of ambient, improvisational music whose guitars offer a salve for the cacophony of the world.

||| Stream: “Infinite Mirror”