In case you missed it, North Carolina-based wave music producer mvrina released her debut EP, reflections. In terms of sound, this EP toes the line between introspective future garage and soft ‘OG wave’ tropes; in terms of content, this EP is a great example of how tracklisting can make or break a body of work. The way that these four songs perfectly pour into each other really adds that ‘something special’ that makes an EP truly stand out.
As a result, reflections is an EP you should listen to straight through in order to get the full effect.
In short, if you are unfamiliar with mvrina and her music, reflections serves as a bit like a musical foil to cry, cali.xo’s dark debut EP. While the general mood found in their music can differ, both artists create gorgeous airy atmospheres that deliver a powerful emotional punch.
Let’s ‘reflect’ with mvrina
The first track, ‘promises,’ feels like taking a stroll through a daydream, or sunbathing in early morning light. It’s the epitome of peace. This peaceful vibe is more or less preserved through ‘changes,’ which feels much like a continuation of the first song without being repetitive. By the time we get to the third track, ‘fears,’ there’s still a bit of peace there, but with something anxious or unsettling breaking through, as hinted at by the title. This song has a bit more energy to it as well–albeit, nervous energy.
However, the mood takes a bit of a sharp turn by the time we reach the titular track, ‘reflections.’
Up until this point, we’ve been moving through the phases of a broken promise: the peace that comes with a settled matter, or a promise made, followed by the slight tension caused by changes to what’s already been agreed upon, and then finally, we reach the fear that follows the recognition of a broken promise. The final track, ‘reflections’ serves as both the climax and the resolution of the ‘story’ that’s been built up in the last three songs.
In ‘reflections,’ we realize that retrospect is 20/20. Perhaps that promise was never going to be kept–perhaps there were warning signs that went unnoticed. The chopped vocalization throughout this track feels very much like how it would sound if one’s literal reflection tried to call out from the mirror, warning against a particular course of action (like believing in the promise of a known liar). The beat of silence immediately before these distorted vocals mimics the way one’s stomach may drop once, after some ‘reflection’, we realize something is amiss. It’s the most powerful moment in the EP, but is only powerful because of the way that mvrina built the moment up—slowly, over many minutes–the same way one might build up years of experiences before reflecting upon what it all means, or how it all went wrong.
promises… changes… fears… reflections…
After spending some time with reflections, we reached out and asked mvrina about this project. Here is what she shared:
“I didn’t intend to make an EP when I started the tracks on ‘reflections’ – I just forced myself to get back into creating one weekend after not having much motivation, and then suddenly (literally within a couple days), I had four tracks that I felt flowed together way too nicely to not be released as an EP. This is the perfect representation of where I want my music style to go and I highly recommend listening to these tracks in order to really get the full experience! […]
The tracks, in my head, flow sort of like relationships; slow and hopeful at the beginning, abruptly changing to fully immersed, fears of losing that spark, and then reflecting on what was.”
