DJ Seinfeld first emerged in 2016 at the forefront of a wave of lo-fi house that seemed ironic on the surface but ended up producing some highly expressive music. After channeling the whirlwind emotions following a breakup into the unexpectedly moving 2017 LP Time Spent Away from U,
Seinfeld widened his scope for his subsequent releases, producing output such as the
Aphex-approved electro of Sakura and the throwback Italo-house of Lilium.
Mirrors, his second full-length (and first for Ninja Tune), aims to recapture the emotional impact of his first album, while demonstrating his growth as a producer. The heart-tugging vocal samples and wide-eyed melodies are still present, but the gritty tape hiss and warehouse rave throb are replaced by much more intricate beat sequences and detailed production. Opener "She Loves Me" features skipping beats that sometimes subtly pan to the corners of the speakers, cloudy IDM melodies, and unresolved vocals ("She loves me, why does she?"). "Walking with Ur Smile" has striding U.K. garage beats, bittersweet R&B vocal samples, and an almost new age sense of airiness, riddled with occasional static hiccups and glitches. "U Already Know" is more of a throwback to midtempo synth-boogie, with a well-timed breakbeat sequence at its center. "These Things Will Come to Be" lays fully into heartache mode, pausing the beat for an entire minute to play an extended voice mail message from a woman who yearns to hear her lover's voice, and wants to "go back to the old days." "Someday" feels like a slightly dreamier version of labelmate
Bicep's revisions of late-'90s breakbeat-driven progressive house.
Seinfeld has mentioned that the album's title refers to how he's been able to reflect on who he is through experiences such as relationships and family trauma, and his music skillfully expresses a mixture of loneliness, uncertainty, and wistful nostalgia. ~ Paul Simpson