A native of Indiana, songwriter/producer Matthew O'Connell was at various times an active member of the punk/hardcore scene of Louisville, Kentucky, attached to the Kitchen Budapest collective in Europe, and an employee of Moog Music in Asheville, North Carolina before compiling his decade-in-the-making solo debut under the moniker
Chorusing. A technician during his time at Moog, he calibrated and built synthesizers and tested analog delay chips as part of his day job. Completed later at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, the resulting
Half Mirror incorporates custom analog synths and tape delay as well as guitar as its central components -- nearly always in sparse, languid contexts. A meditative, folk-mannered work,
Half Mirror opens with the quasi-instrumental "Cold," which introduces O'Connell's intimate, ethereal vocals as an instrument alongside echoing, free-rhythm guitar atmospheres and moaning effects. Nature and reflection also serve as inspiration for what follows on a set of soulful, more structured songs with titles like "Blue Ridge," "Midday Sun," and "Whitewaterside." Where
Chorusing excels, however, is on experimental-leaning tracks best represented here by "Watching the Beams" and "Billowing," which affect with a distorted mix of organic and inorganic textures alongside more of the album's melancholic folk song. While the staggered delay effects, arpeggiated tonal loops, and pulsing mechanical vibrations -- and eventually rare beats -- take "Watching the Beams" to a next-level psychedelic state, the track remains spacious and hypnotic in nature, fitting in with even the more monochromatic segments of the album, like elegant guitar closer "Mirror." Dreamy, desolate, and moving throughout,
Half Mirror ultimately impresses with its restraint. ~ Marcy Donelson