Hometown: London
Listen to: ‘Crutch’
The opening chords of ‘Crutch’, the debut single from London indie-rock four-piece Mirror Shot, remind me immediately of Semisonic’s ‘Closing Time’. Perhaps that’s not surprising, given the band’s passion for alternative American guitar canon, which led Niall Rush (guitar), Adam Smith (guitar) and Olivia Horox (percussion/drums) to form in 2018 as an instrumental project.
Rush has since begrudgingly committed to being the lead singer in addition to being guitarist and songwriter. His vocal delivery is drawling and evocative of Idaho rockers, Built To Spill’s Doug Martsch. Both men sound compelled to share their poetry with you but lack the egoism that makes a natural frontman – and for a band described by their fans as ‘not good with eye contact’, you feel automatically drawn to them.
It’s this endearing quality that makes you immediately feel comfortable with the band, giving you the peculiar sensation that you’ve somehow heard their songs before. And perhaps you have, at least in spirit, because the song is a homage to decades past; recorded entirely on analogue equipment, with Brian O’Shaughnessy (MBV, Primal Scream, The Clientele), the band has successfully captured the sound of nostalgia. And with the ongoing retro revival, it’s a move that makes them sound effortlessly cool.
Lyrically, the track explores the theme of marrying young. Written around the time of his marriage, Rush said: “I never imagined myself marrying as young as I did, so it all poured out of the strange mix of feelings at the heart of that fairly easily.”
The song is self-described by the band as a ‘sappy debut single about gay marriage and graveyards’. If that’s your cup of tea then check them out on Spotify.
The band has already received airplay from BBC Introducing, been added to Spotify’s Fresh Finds list, and been picked as one of The Unsigned Guide’s Spotlight artists, and showcased on Amazing Radio.
Mirror Shot will be gigging again from January, so follow them on Twitter and Instagram, and like them on Facebook to keep up to date with their latest dates.
The Unsigned Guide is the UK’s largest music industry directory, with over 8,500 contacts spanning 50 areas of the UK music industry. Every month they pick five Spotlight artists, who get featured in their Spotlight blog, played on Amazing Radio and showcased on sites like The Indiependent. Find out more about how they could help your music get noticed, by visiting their website.
Words by Beth Kirkbride