by Shea Roney (@uglyhug_records)
With her new EP, Celestial Mirror, Chicago’s own soothing heartbreaker, Mia Joy, makes her way back into our fragile hearts and our busted carousels of self-actualization. Accompanied by bandmates Micahel Santana (lead guitar), Michael Mac (bass), and Jake Stolz (drums), the four track EP was recorded between Santana’s house and Chicago’s Bim Bom Studios. Being recorded directly to tape and mostly in one take, Celestial Mirror is a homey flavor of dream pop and vocal sensations that portrays a welcoming pair of open arms. On the newest music released since her debut record Spirit Tamer, Mia Joy continues on that path of ethereal melody towards a meditative approach to loving yourself.
The opening track, “Alive,” is an exposed a capella hymn where Joy’s breathy vocals conduct the deliberate and euphoric intro. When she sings, “and I see everything is alive,” there is a subtle heartbeat that begins and remains steady until the very end of the EP. “More Green,” released as the first single, is a dreamy groove with remnants of shoegaze’s softer side. Defined in intimacy, Joy’s choral vocals rise and fall with a sense of grace and clarity while the meandering groove grows into a rejoiceful climax.
With lullaby-induced vocal textures, Joy leans into being okay with love again on the voluminous track, “4th of July”. “Time is a teacher / so teach me how to love / without the fear of its cost,” she sings as bravely as she does with vulnerability to the fact of the matter. The closing track, “That’s A Lie,” is a meditative sanctuary for the connections that Joy has in her life. Using her breathing as another ghostly texture in this sparse and ethereal landscape, Joy sings, “in my dreams / who’s that beside me?” As she approaches the chorus of, “it’s a lie,” there is a defiance in Joy’s soft vocals that speak to our own understanding of what it means to be alone.
What stands as a matured and established voice following a debut full-length, Mia Joy extends her deliberation of self-discovery amongst these four delicate and stunning tracks. Celestial Mirror, although brief, is representative of the depths at which Joy will go to make an honest and memorable piece of work.