Inspired #411 - Mirrorball
LA’s dream-pop duo Mirrorball have just released their new track ‘Red Hot Dust’, the second single to be taken from their upcoming debut EP.
Consisting of singer/songwriter Alexandra Johnstone and multi-instrumentalist and composer Scott Watson, both veterans of the LA indie scene. Following a successful debut in 2019 with two songs as part of a singles series on Dangerbird Records, the duo caught the attention of acclaimed producer Chris Coady, meeting him at Sunset Sound to discuss their next recording. Over the next few months, they formed a special bond with Coady resulting in the upcoming EP, showcasing a unique blend of dreamy, nostalgic pop.
Alex took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind their music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
That’s a tough one, if I had to choose the top three I think I would say The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac and The Smiths.
The Beach Boys are my favorite band and I love them but it’s also like saying “I like to go to LA” . They have so much music and it’s so vast. There’s of course Pet Sounds and then there’s like the groovier Sunflower. You could say that same thing about Fleetwood Mac as well. All these groups coming out of Southern California as well, I think on some level I can relate to them a little bit with that because I am from here, and it probably does influence the sound. I have to say “The Smiths” simply because they influenced me so heavily as a teenager and I think we do have elements of it in Scott’s guitar playing and some other post punk elements there. The freeness of the lyrics also had a profound influence on me and the way I thought about music-making when I was younger.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
Actually, one of the songs coming out on our EP, which will be out soon is called “Take a Shot” was inspired partly by the movie “The Furies”. The one made in 1950. The acting was great, Barbara Stanwyck is amazing. It’s about a father and daughter relationship and the push and pull they go through over the years and eventually have a falling out about their ranch in New Mexico.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I think I would have to answer Los Angeles just because I have written many songs about it. To me it contains every opposite, beauty and darkness. The highest highs and lowest lows. It is the land of dreams, but it wears on you and takes things from you before you even know they're gone. I live a little outside of LA now, but I can drive there easily. I would also like to go back to France, Paris is beautiful but so is Bordeaux and Grenoble and I think those places might be my favorite and the people are so nice. I would like to go to London someday.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
Chris Coady. Chris saw something in our songs and wanted to work with us and we still feel very lucky for that. We got to learn so much working with him on the songs and recording them, getting to see his process and everything. I think it made us better at what we do, and it probably raised our standards of ourselves as well. I think Chris, Scott and I all like a similar thing and had a similar vision for the songs so it all felt sort of effortless too. I hope we can record with him again.
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
This one is easy. I was going through a bit of a difficult time, and I just wanted to go back home to where I grew up in Sierra Madre Canyon. The line “Canyon of Dreams, fill my guns” is about feeling used up and needing to go back to where you came from to fill yourself back up. I love the canyon and I find it to be magical and special there. It is like going into the past a little bit when you go there. I couldn’t go home right then so I wrote the song instead.
How would you like to inspire people?
I think that even in the sad songs, I try to imbue some hope into them. I think as we get older we are faced with these bizarre new realities and we can either let them take us down or we can face them and maybe somehow in the end we can continue to become freer by doing so. In “Red Hot Dust” I tried to find some solace in the idea of driving out to the desert with the top down. If you can’t go home, you can always go to the desert, the desert is always there.
