Cover the Mirrors is Ben Kweller’s seventh album and his first since the tragic death of his son at 16 due to a car accident. How does someone continue after such a tragedy? Only those who have experienced such things know. I’d like to think that Ben Kweller found solace in the creation of this new record.
Cover the Mirrors is a sad record, but also a joyous piece of musicianship. The record starts with the track “Going Insane.” The first audible noise you hear is a long, drawn-out sigh from Kweller, which prepared me for the struggles he was about to share. It’s a piano-heavy song accompanied by strings, which lifts Kweller’s vocal to new heights.
“Dollar Store (feat. Waxahatchee)” is a stunning piece of guitar-driven rock that almost comes off like if Wilco and The Smashing Pumpkins teamed up to release a collab. Waxahatchee assists with a backing vocal on the chorus, and it really adds a lot — culminating in an explosive finale. This track is one of the strongest on the album. It's a powerful piece of songwriting and at this point is my candidate for favorite track.
“Depression (feat. Coconut Records)” tackles the complexities of depression, with Kweller looking into himself and remembering the man he used to be, but also reminds us that a new day is coming — and be sure to remember that. Also, I enjoyed Coconut Records' backing on the track (for those unfamiliar with that group it's the side project of actor Jason Shcwartzman). It added an element of levity and enhanced the overall sound.
“Don’t Cave” is yet another highlight for me. At times it's sonically reminiscent of The Strokes, with lyrics that allude to not giving up. It’s a solid track that comes at a good time in the record. This brings up the sequencing of Cover the Mirrors, a topic that isn’t brought up a ton, but when it's done poorly is very noticeable. This was the opposite of that. As I listened, I felt that Kweller really put thought into the order of the tunes on the record. Every track feeds into the next in a thoughtful yet totally seamless manner. For example, “Optimystic” is musically the heaviest song on the album with its garage rock guitars and punk chorus, but is immediately followed by the sing-song, lighthearted sounding “Brakes.” Usually this might seem jarring, but here it works. Kweller’s lyrics tie all these songs together with the overall theme of triumphing over your sadness.
This is most apparent on the last track on the album, “Oh Dorian (feat. MJ Lenderman)”. Dorian was Ben Kweller’s son, who died in 2023, and this track plays as a beautiful and uplifting tribute to him. Kweller sings along with honky-tonk pianos, saying that he "can’t wait to hang with you again” and that “life ain’t just the same.” It’s sad, but at the same time it puts a smile on your face. I could imagine Kweller looking back on the memories of time shared with his son not with sadness, but with joy.
