Mirrors by Linnea's Garden

Boston’s “glam punk that you can dance to” rockers Linnea’s Garden live up to their reputation with their third release, Mirrors, out November 17, 2023. The five-track EP takes the songwriting chops of 2021 debut Nowhere Friday Nights and the dark glittering promises of 2022 full-length Fashion Show and then kicks it up a notch. Powered by the new rhythm section of Hands on bass and Super Tough Ray Clough on drums, this recording takes on a new intensity, reckless and riding the rails.

Mirrors opens with a kinetic dose of self-deprecation in lead single “Pathological Liar.” The pop-punk banger begins with an energetic run of power chords that stops for a stuttering five-bar break as singer/songwriter/guitarist Linnea Herzog sings: “You’re not a pathological liar. Someone from your class really jumped to their death from the top of William James Hall one February morning.” It’s all a true story - a retrospective on growing up and taking accountability in relationships. “I was full of shit when I was 26,” Linnea sings with no shame. The music video, a collaboration with Carissa Johnson (Fuel Heart Productions), explores the idea that sometimes the right relationship - and your best life - is hiding in plain sight.

Title track “Big Mirrors” has a 70’s rock feel as the vocals follow a burning guitar riff, while lyrically bouncing between outer space and earth. The chorus soars, begging the question, “What did you expect to happen when you went and listened to your heart?” before dropping into a grunge bridge that crushes.

“DB3” is the third song off the third release of Linnea’s Garden. It’s a groovy danceable tune that touches on the relationship between past, present and future selves and how embracing all three is crucial for evolution. Friendship, love and sex can all be a key part of the transformation when they hold up a new mirror through which to see yourself: “I’m in love with how you think I must be holding on/I’ve improved, there’s no going back to normal.”

“Seeds” starts sparse, opening with a sultry groove. The vocal takes a turn as angular guitars move the melody to “sleep-deprived, starry eyes,” longing and regret evident in the refrain: “Don’t ask, don’t tell, just play guitar.”

“Comeback” recounts the late nights at clubs, the shows that changed your life. The joy of seeing the people you love returning to the stage and getting to be part of that noise. The wonder at how long you could live without it, if you ever went without it. How good it feels to hit as hard as you can and let the guitar bruise you back. There’s no cutoff. You’ve never been too awkward. It never has to end. The music video for “Comeback” (Grrl Haus Cinema 2023 Official Selection) was edited and directed by Natalie Peracchio with cinematography by Tomás Orrego. Peracchio recounts the filmmaking process: “We shot on 16mm and I used a hole puncher to cut circles out of the film, then I mixed them all up and taped it back together. It ended up being one of my favorite techniques that I’ve tried!”

Linnea’s Garden is proud to bring you Mirrors live at their EP release show, November 17 at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston, MA with Lovewhip, CATWOLF and Hyber.

Glam punk you can dance to ✨

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