Orange County electro-punk duo The Garden released their third studio album on March 30. Titled “Mirror Might Steal Your Charm”, the album displays much more experimental techniques than the brothers’ last album, “Haha”, produced in 2015.
Their innovative and eccentric sound carries through all twelve songs on the album, but the twins do an excellent job of varying mood from track to track.
“I was impressed with the cohesiveness of the album in comparison to other music being released currently,” said senior Isabelle Mendoza.
The Garden’s least erratic songs, lacking a chaotic cacophony of background noise, are “No Destination” and “Call The Dogs Out”. These both appeal to the less extreme fans with a more pop-punk taste in music.
However, songs such as “A Message For Myself” and “:(“ exemplify The Garden’s signature style, including a heavy bass line, aggressive vocals, and sporadic, synthesized beats.
An interesting strategy the duo incorporated in “Mirror Might Steal Your Charm” is that they played around with transitions between tempos. This technique is very apparent in the first track, “Stallion”, and “Shameless Shadow”. Each verse starts at a normal pace until the chorus, when the beats and vocals speed up almost double the tempo.
While this album distances itself from The Garden’s previous work, it still embodies the progressive spirit of the twin’s brand by producing a distinctive, offbeat style of punk rock.