Ben Kweller returns with Cover The Mirrors, a stark and affecting album shaped by deep personal loss. Known first for his late-’90s work with post-grunge outfit Radish before building a long solo career rooted in melodic indie rock, he turns to songwriting as a means of honouring his late son, Dorian Zev. Written around what would have been Dorian’s 19th birthday, the record marks Kweller’s first release since his passing in 2023 and captures an artist working through devastation with clarity and purpose.
The album brings together a thoughtful cast of collaborators who help expand its emotional scope. Waxahatchee appears on ‘Dollar Store’, a spare duet that swells into a distorted, cathartic climax. MJ Lenderman lends warmth to ‘Oh Dorian’, while Jason Schwartzman revives Coconut Records for the spectral ‘Depression’. The Flaming Lips add their signature shimmer to ‘Killer Bee’, pushing the record into subtly psychedelic territory.
Throughout, Kweller’s songwriting remains direct and sincere: intimate without being insular, open-hearted without sentimentality. Cover The Mirrors is a portrait of grief expressed through craft — a collection that finds strength and beauty in the hardest of places.
The album brings together a thoughtful cast of collaborators who help expand its emotional scope. Waxahatchee appears on ‘Dollar Store’, a spare duet that swells into a distorted, cathartic climax. MJ Lenderman lends warmth to ‘Oh Dorian’, while Jason Schwartzman revives Coconut Records for the spectral ‘Depression’. The Flaming Lips add their signature shimmer to ‘Killer Bee’, pushing the record into subtly psychedelic territory.
Throughout, Kweller’s songwriting remains direct and sincere: intimate without being insular, open-hearted without sentimentality. Cover The Mirrors is a portrait of grief expressed through craft — a collection that finds strength and beauty in the hardest of places.
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