Porter Robinson finally graced us with more music from his forthcoming album, Nurture, through releasing ‘Mirror‘. In addition, the artist conversed with Sophie Walker on the life events and challenges that allowed him to reach this point.
Ego Death Interview
— porter robinson (@porterrobinson) August 27, 2020
Within the interview, he speaks candidly and gets personal on the pressures of being a creative individual with high expectations on his shoulders. For example, the expectations don’t have to come from an outside source as they’re often self-inflicted by the critical avatars people conjure up in their heads. That negative yet constant stimulus becomes a painstaking defence mechanism that never bears a benefit. Throughout his journey, Porter clearly relearned how to be passionate and playful towards what he creates. That sentiment is deeply ingrained on the tracks we’ve heard off Nurture so far, certainly through ‘Mirror’. All in all, the conversation is a worthwhile read, especially for creative people. Notably, going through it echos an important sentiment that he mentions.
“I think realising that even your heroes are struggling in the same way is really validating, and it makes it seem possible to overcome.”
In addition, we get vivid snippets of moments within his life that clearly had a profound impact. One of them includes listening to Bon Iver‘s ‘33 God‘ while taking his brother Mark to the hospital, bringing about a sincere moment of reflection in regards to how music impacts him as an individual. Moreover, that sensation seems to be viscerally relatable to people who are passionate about art and how it reflects onto them. That’s not all, there’s a lot more to go through such as him coming to terms with the notion of writing his own lyrics, inspirations, and life events. For that, read the interview for yourself considering how interesting and rife with information it is.
Mirror
had a nice cry this morning, thanks so much for listening to mirror. >_<
i genuinely braced myself for this one, because i’ve always thought of Mirror as a bit of a grower. the initial reaction has been so positive though — i’m grateful and seriously over the moon ??
— porter robinson (@porterrobinson) August 26, 2020
As a starting point, the track follows suit like the previous releases off Nurture in terms of delivering a vulnerable and sincere narrative. Right off the bat, it clicks as one of the best tracks he’s produced, as the emotion is as gut-wrenching as ever. Firstly, the deconstructed and panned intro brings a serene sensation alongside the piano chords. From that point, the track dives into the verse in which Porter sings atop a playful rhythm. Truly, the lyrics and delivery bring forth the meaning and purpose behind the track. Onward, the artist presents a charming and vibrant chorus with the melody and pitched vocal.
Each section ends with a narrator speaking about the voices in our heads and how they relate to us. Structurally, the track only continues to give more and more, with one beautiful and lush instrumental break. Towards the end, it truly shows how the deconstruction mentality influenced Porter in a very creative manner. Overall, what’s important is how ‘Mirror’ highlights its core idea in its final moments with the narrator. As Porter himself said; “Nurture stands for hope.”
Sometimes, the inner voice is encouraging: Calling for you to run those final few yards; You’re nearly there, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going. It will all be OK in the end.
Porter Robinson – Mirror
Finally, listen to Porter Robinson get personal on ‘Mirror’ off his forthcoming album, Nurture, below!