If Your Mirror Breaks

Description

In the vein of 27 Passports, If Your Mirror Breaks by The Ex is a ten-part album blending surreal daydreams, cries of alarm, and bursts of vital energy. Arnold de Boer, Katherina Bornefeld, Andy Moor, and Terrie Hessels showcase their usual creativity and urgency. From Walt Whitman's poem at the opening to the final enthusiasm of "Great!", the album oscillates between exploration and determination, traversing doubt, distress, and hope. As Bornefeld sings in "Wheel": "A new life force emerges for those who follow the song of their soul." De Boer excels in strong imagery: talking walls, writing spiders, transformations into buildings… Imagination becomes refuge and resistance. The album, dedicated to Steve Albini, connects the strange waltz of "Circuit Breaker" to the fury of "In The Rain," driven by three guitars, a drum, and a voice as free as it is impactful. The Ex delivers a committed, poetic, and electric record, true to its time and resolutely looking towards the future. — Guy Peters, Geraardsbergen, 2025