Longtime fans of corner club will notice that in the rearview mirror is a bit of a departure from their earlier work in little love lullabies – but it is only a departure for the better. If I were to compare the two EPs – little love lullabies is a collection of songs in similar vein, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Similar albums that come to mind are Julien Baker’s Sprained Ankle or Bon Iver‘s For Emma, Forever Ago – there’s comfort and cohesion that only comes with albums with a singular auditory vision.
in the rearview mirror, however, is a bit more like a high class buffet – there’s a lot to be savored – the duo have explored the direction they began with their single “ok time”, and made their songs a GREAT time, with a more diverse and adventurous sound.
In general, the use of samples has highly elevated their compositions and adds a bit of their cheekiness and humor in some songs, more a picture in others. The additional use of other instruments, both analog and digital, only serve to enhance what already strong songwriting is there. Sav Du and Mike Zhang are a force to be reckoned with.
“funny colors” begins with a light electric piano, and slowly adds some reverb-laden percussion and samples following Sav’s lyrics – the buildup and resolution almost brings to mind post-rock – I can almost see a bombastic crescendo of reverb laden guitars and drums – but again, this is indie pop, but damn good indie pop at that, and its crescendo finds itself in “radiant.”
“radiant” might be one of my personal highlights on this EP – Mike does an amazing job with the production – chorused guitars and tremolo pads really bring a different shade of color to their sound, almost reminiscent of Zoology or Beau Diako’s solo work. It’s dreamy, lush, and Sav does an amazing job of layering her vocals to add to the overall dreamlike sound, to great effect.
“whenever you’re ready” might be the weakest song on the album, which is saying something, because it’s SUCH a well done song. The samples are used incredibly effectively – the tone of this particular song feels a touch pop punk, indie rock – there’s some sort of chord – diminished or something that I can’t place – that really adds a great playfulness and funk to the song that makes it feel fresh. This song also contains my only gripe, and it’s more of an incredibly personal and miniscule preference: I do wish the drums were more present in the mix – I feel the song would have benefited from a bit more of a punchy kick and snare, with its rock tones. But again: it’s definitely a personal preference in mix, and it doesn’t detract much from the song.
“i’ll never say i love you first again” serves as a bit of a palate cleanser – a piano accompaniment to Sav’s heartfelt lyrics, wondering what could have been with a past lover. And with a release of the piano keys, “dreaming (梦中)” comes in with gently plucked guitars; similar in tone to its predecessor, but with some key vocal layers added. It’s incredibly heartfelt and tender – dreamy, but unlike “radiant” – more nostalgic with a hint of heartbroken melancholy, it really does make one’s heart ache. The chorus is bone chillingly sorrowful, but reminiscent of old and fond memories.
Long time fans of corner club will be excited to finally see “the ezra song” in streaming format – it has long been a staple of their live show, and now it finally has a place in this EP. Much like its live performance, it’s incredibly stripped down – Mike’s guitar and Sav’s voice, very much similar to their previous work in little love lullabies. You can even hear Sav’s voice crack with emotion: ‘Thinking about the last time I kissed you.’ It has a certain emotional intensity and sincerity that I recall only songs like Oathbreaker’s “Second Son of R.”, Black Tongue’s “Parting Soliloquy”, Sleep Token’s “Blood Sport” in evoking an intense emotional reaction – though all four evoke different emotions.
The EP concludes with “when i die” – an almost playful ballad in 3/4, a waltz to the beauty of the temporality of life. The lyrics are the highlight (of course the instrumental is equally amazing, with sweeping solo cello and tittering flute joining in with a group singing and the guitar) – they’re playful and first stem from Sav’s mother requesting that her ashes be spread, but not in the ocean because she can’t swim. Thus the rest of the lyrics take a bit more of a playful tone, occasionally tongue-in-cheek, ‘If the world hasn’t burned by then, if the sky’s still blue.’
The EP as a result becomes an honest look at the temporality of life and a reminder that amidst the devastating heartbreaks of life and all of its woes and tragedies, that there’s something beautiful about the ordinary, about small kindnesses, and about knowing that what we have here on Earth is temporary. We’re reminded of how small and fragile our lives are, but how beautiful and precious they are because of that.
