What Else Can Break (studio album)
by Mira Lu Kovacs

From Mercury 07/20/2021 20:57

(Cool indie rock and indie folk album with some great melodies and beautiful songs and A WHOLE LOT of great vocal performances from Mira Lu Kovacs. Just a very warm and refreshing album throughout.)

On first glance this may seem like just another indie folk rock singer/songwriter album. But... there's something different going on here. Something special. Something almost intangible. Something gorgeous and brilliant. And, although I haven't fully put my finger on what is so cool about this album, I'll talk a little bit about it and we will see where we stand.

Right from the jump with the fucking rad opener "Stuck" and its groovy percussion and its head bobbing nonchalance and its gorgeous melody, the album basically is screaming out clear as day that its a good one and should be stuck around for its duration. Then after that the hits keep on coming. "84" features an amazing atmosphere, an almost mesmerizing feel and a badass bassline and some serene melodies and vocals. It comes and goes quick and leaves you happy. "Most Beautiful Boy" is indescribably pretty. The simplicity of the song brings to the forefront how amazing Mira's vocals are. They are just incredible through the whole album, but on this song she manages with just her voice and a sad melodic line and some simple strums of the acoustic guitar and some minimal bass to create a wholly stunning song. "Want You" is a badass, airy, driving indie rock track with these bright acoustic chords and more of that delectable bass and more of those excellent vocals. "Dove On A Bench" is a lackadaisical (at first and in a good way) indie folk ballad that yet has something SOMETHING about it that makes it irresistible! That way she makes her voice crack and the way the harmonized big chorus comes in and the general feel of the track its all so comfortable and tangible and glorious. "Pull Away" then unexpectedly brings in these chilly electronic beats and tones and yet Mira absolutely makes this new sound her pown and it fits gorgeously with everything else on this record. Its really such a soulful little song that makes me feel a certain sad longing.

And all those songs are brilliant and are the first 6 tracks. The album starts so strong its almost inevitable there will be a let down from there. And there is. A few songs on the back half don't really grab me the same way as that opening blast. Still no song is bad by any means and some of the tracks such as the very Fleet Foxes-esque "Bad Deal" and the earnest and romantic closer "Stay A Little Longer", or the more upbeat and indie rock sounding tracks like "All The Time (The Darkness)" and "Human" are also quite beautiful and even at times brilliant.

Overall, this was just a great album that I have been vibing with for a couple days and I highly recommend it to all of you.