Angel Olsen returns with an elegant, melancholy tune.
Angel Olsen’s music has always been grounded and earthy, like her voice and melodies were chiseled out of a mountain. Whether she performed lo-fi tunes, folk heartbreakers or synth explorations, Olsen’s words and vocals break through with a resigned sadness and yearning. “All Mirrors” though is a song from beyond the clouds, feeling unknowable and infinite.
At the start, the drums hit like a microphone placed inside a heart chamber, with an airy, steady synth that cuts across like a beam of light. But then, the synths twist and curve into a wavy melody, before all fades out in favor of near-classical strings, only to roar back to the pounding percussion. It’s the type of song that would take you on an emotional journey even without vocals. But Olsen brings forth a devastating earworm chorus, repeating “Losin’ beauty, at least at times it knew me.” It’s the most grandiose, visionary piece of music she’s ever written.
“All Mirrors” is the title track for Olsen’s upcoming fourth album, out on Oct. 4 via Jagjaguwar.