Video: Gal Pal, ‘Mirror’

Kevin Bronson on February 21st, 2023

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“Mirror,” the new single from L.A. art-rockers Gal Pal, does not suggest a glassy, smooth thing; it’s warped, contorting what it reveals, which is not necessarily beautiful. Which is exactly the point.

The song is the first release from the trio of Emelia Austin, Shayna Hahn and Nico Romero since 2019. (We should note here that earlier this year Austin released “From Another Sky,” a fine album we completely slept on.) The threesome met in college, honed their chops via good ol’ improvisation and released their debut album, “Girlish,” in 2017, following up with an EP in ’19.

“Mirror,” produced with Danny Nogueiras (No Win) and Sami Perez (Cherry Glazerr, Jerry Paper), is imbued with a sophistication beyond Gal Pal’s previous work. Serpentine guitars float on delay, drums ricochet through the sky with them and Austin’s stream-of-consciousness speak to the song’s central neurosis. Warpaint could be your sonic reference point.

The song, Austin says, “formed from Nico playing cyclical guitar riffs over and over again. It helped me form the theme of being stuck in a pattern. I then wrote lyrics that were cut-off sentences, repeating again and again to express that feeling. 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.”

Will Rydall directs the video, filmed in the band’s practice space and surrounding hills.

||| Watch: The video for “Mirror”