Ben Kweller is a well established musical artist currently located in Dripping Springs, Texas (another win for the Texas musical scene!) who is currently celebrating the his latest full-length, Cover the Mirrors. This is Kweller’s first release since the death of his son Dorian in 2023 and is dedicated to Dorian. The album explores the devastation and grief that Kweller experienced after his son’s passing, but it also delves into the multifaceted nature of grief to dismantle and alter every aspect of life.
Cover the Mirrors discusses what happens to you and the people around you after a loved one passes, and the alteration of daily life and experience. Kweller explores relationships, depression, emotional wellbeing, isolation, and so much more in this album. The album itself is a testament to the impact that the people we love have on us, and their permanence in our lives long after they are gone.
The first track, “Going Insane”, really sets the tone for the emotional exploration and absurdity the album presents to us. Kweller is talking about serious issues but he doesn’t shy away from making light out of a bad situation or being a little absurd at times. “Going Insane” is a steady piano ballad that explores desperation and dealing with life’s turmoils. This is contrasted by the lightness in lyrics such as “rattlesnake, carrot cake.” It creates an interesting juxtaposition as he writes that he and the people around him are all “balled up inside.” The orchestral strings are a nice touch to this lyrically experimental ballad on struggling through the days.
Cover the Mirrors has many amazing and big name features such as: Waxahatchee, Coconut Records, The Flaming Lips, and MJ Lenderman. “Dollar Store (feat. Waxahatchee)” further expands upon the idea of inner turmoil as he battles with the struggles and standstill of a relationship. Kweller battles wanting to keep trying but also not wanting to dwell on the struggle itself.
The chorus of the song is infectious and Waxahatchee’s vocals linger throughout the background which make for a delightful listening experience. Throughout the album, I noticed that Kweller loves a big outro to a song and this track is no exception as we end with the drums and guitar coming together to assist Kweller scream out the song’s chorus. The music video is a great visualizer for the song’s message and was filmed at Bluebonnet Food Mart and Heart of Texas Hotel right here in Austin, Texas!
“Depression (feat. Coconut Records)” is a sonic shift at this point in the album as they drop the overt folk sounds and lean into electronics and bass. This album has proved to be extremely thematically consistent, as Kweller continues to question his sadness and isolation. The bridge is a real standout on this one, as the drums dominate but allow for some beautiful backing melodies. The lyrics are heartbreakingly honest as Kweller writes, “I used to think that I was strong and tough, but I can’t even get through the day.”
The album feels like it is constantly in conversation with itself, and Kweller is further thinking about the quality and worthiness of his relationship, and his willingness to fight for it. “Don’t Cave” adopts a more hazy and hopeful tone as he navigates uncharted territory of “the goodbye we shouldn’t say” in his relationship. The instrumentals on this track culminate into an uplifting ballad that highlights each element (drums, strings and guitar) wonderfully.
“Optimystic” is one of the standout tracks on the record for me. It adopts a heavier and punky guitar tone and Kweller’s lyrics are a conversation to himself about his delicate mental state during this time. Definitely the most *mosh* worthy track on the album. The guitar tone is infectious and the chorus will definitely get stuck in your head. Also, Kweller’s coined phrase of “pill-popionaire” is just too good!
The music video is essential in my opinion to visualizing the track, and the playful animation done by Mystery Matter is wonderful and engaging.
“Killer Bee (feat. The Flaming Lips)” is yet another killer feature on the album. The song is sonically aligned with the rest of the album and the buzzing bee sound of the keyboard/synth is a great and interesting touch. The scaling guitar during the chorus highlights the song’s message of exploration and insecurity. Kweller posted a demo on Youtube much before the songs release, and the direction they took it in made for a dynamic and explorative listening experience post production.
Kweller’s lyrics are exceptional on this album and they get a chance to truly shine in “Letter to Agony” where he confessionally explores his depressive mental state and how that is affecting his attitudes towards his relationship. It has a similar sound to “Park Harvey Fire Drill”, a previous track on the album, but takes a much more serious tone. He discusses undesirable thoughts of wishing ill will on someone he loves and is remarkably self aware of his own shortcomings and chemical imbalances. The minor chords feed into this sorrowful tone, as he writes, “all of the toxic waste spewing from me tonight, I fear there’s no end in sight.” Kweller is quite literally isolated on this track, as it only features Kweller’s vocals and guitar.
Kweller not only writes about grief, but also how to fight through it. “Save Yourself” starts out with a simple guitar melody and by the chorus becomes a loud explosion of drums and guitar as Kweller fights his way to say, “Don’t let it beat you up.” This is a fight song against the dangers of grief as it emphasizes the importance of saving oneself from the “unknown loss”. The exciting instrumentals and conversation between the guitar and drums create a truly epic listening experience, and has the potential to be very motivating to anyone who has ever struggled through grief and loss.
“Oh Dorian (feat. MJ Lenderman)” is my favorite song off the album and is an excellent close to the deeply personal conversations we’ve had with Kweller as listeners throughout the album’s tracklist. The heartbreak in this song is not only caused by the loss of Dorian, but that Kweller allows us to know Dorian’s glowing personality and traits, and we learn to mourn alongside Kweller for his son.
The charming pianos introduce the song and give it a lighthearted and sweet tone, which coupled with the celebratory and beautiful lyrics about Dorian create a sonic memory and memorial. The electric guitar work from Lenderman and piano from Kweller on this track really highlight the beauty of him and Dorian’s relationship, ebbing and flowing into our ears and delivering the lyrics on a platter for our enjoyment. The lyrics are tear jerking but Kweller will make you smile through the tears as he writes about Dorian,
Crystal child, double-Gemini
A million songs in his head
Doesn’t care if you’re wrong or right
He believes what you said
Kweller further creates an environment where we feel like we know Dorian through lyrics like,
Watch him glow and radiate
When he walks through the door
Understands a-what you say
’cause he’s been there before
Kweller paints a deeply personal picture on this track, and if you are going to listen to one song on the album this is most definitely the highlight. But I would really recommend listening to all of them! Kweller lets us in on life while battling grief, and how he is navigating the world without his son. He highlights the radically changing quality that grief has on you and the people you love, which makes this album so much more than grief itself.
Cover the Mirrors is a journey through Kweller’s mental, physical and emotional battles and he does not hold back. It is musically and lyrically explorative and provides the listener with sonically diverse tracks with clever and interesting lyrics. It may be about intense issues, but much of the album does not feel explicitly sad, but rather emotionally experimental. Ben Kweller has fully fleshed out what it means to grieve, and has created an album that is a testament to his love for not only his son, but his journey of loving and understanding himself and others.
