On Nothing To Be Had, released earlier this February, Belgrade four-piece Salt Mirror have assembled a time machine back to the early 2000s, where bands like Deftones, Taking Back Sunday, and Fightstar dominated the alt radio playlists with melodic, heartfelt emo music.
To that end, opener You Smell Of Her serves as something of a mission statement. An honest, accessible tale of the painful memory of a former lover, the anguish in singer Aleksei Bobylev’s voice is palpable, and when woven together with a razor-sharp bassline, some frenetic drum fills, and the crystal-clear crescendo of the lead guitar, a genuine pop hit is born. It’s easy to imagine it being sung full-throatedly by kids in the mosh pit, or being featured in heavy rotation on the much-missed MTV2.
Delving further into the running, however, it becomes plain that Salt Mirror are no mere pop punk tribute act. Hinting at mid-noughties progressive rock acts such as Tool and Amplifier, central track Lying Awake expertly plays with light and shade, as a gossamer-light, sinuous guitar line and celestial synths, evocative of the starry night sky in Bobylev’s words, give way to an all-encompassing, almost sludgy chorus.
Another standout is the fourth song, Body Trapped In A Soul, which has the band tapping into more contemporary grunge sensibilities, being made popular by the likes of Teenage Wrist. Harsh vocals are used sparingly but to great effect here, as you get a real sense of urgency as Bobylev fights back against the suffocating, almost quicksand-like instrumental.
Although Salt Mirror wear their influences firmly on their sleeves, these five tracks show a great deal of range and promise, which leaves you tantalised and excited for where they can head next. Bobylev might scream an anguished “Leave me the fuck alone” to close out the final track, but it’s already proving difficult to do just that.
Written by Matt Ward
