Cherry Bomb turns broken pieces into something dazzling on ‘Myriad Reflector’, the latest single from MisterWives’ Mandy Lee. Taking its title from an early name for the disco ball, the track uses its fragmented mirrors as a metaphor for embracing every part of an experience – including the painful ones – and finding the light that eventually makes its way between the cracks.
The sound is absolutely huge. Distorted, fried synths collide with bombastic bass and an electronic pulse built for movement, while Lee’s extraordinary vocal towers above it all. Powerful, theatrical and carrying operatic shades reminiscent of Marina, she drives ‘Myriad Reflector’ towards an enormous, cathartic chorus. When she declares, “Now I barely hear you when I’m blowing out the speakers”, the production makes good on every word. It’s synth-pop, electro-pop and dance-pop thrown together at full volume, sounding gloriously triumphant in the process.
That euphoria spills into Matty Vogel’s colourful video, filmed on the New York City subway as Lee returns to the city that raised her. Friends and strangers become individual pieces of its moving mosaic, with moments of chaos and pure joy transforming the everyday setting into a celebration. Like the mirrorball at its centre, ‘Myriad Reflector’ finds something beautiful in fragmentation – and Cherry Bomb makes it shine brilliantly.
