Enigmatic Brunch Records will release Smile in the Mirror, the debut album from Kansas City multi-instrumentalist Joel Stratton, known as joel vs joel, on August 19, 2025.
Merging art rock, chamber pop, and singer-songwriter elements, Stratton crafts songs that are intricate without losing their emotional pull. The record pairs complex chord structures, shifting time signatures, and deft fingerpicking with wiry lead guitar lines and vocal melodies that sometimes recall a Wilco record, or Jeff Buckley’s lilting, world-weary tone.
Across the album, there’s a persistent undercurrent of tension, shaped by Stratton’s production choices—textures build subtly in the background until they feel almost physical. “Joel Hold On,” one of the album’s standout tracks, uses celestial synth arpeggios to lift the song into an ethereal, dream-like space, making it feel suspended outside of reality.
Throughout Smile in the Mirror, mallets and keys surface frequently, adding a tone that’s playful but edged with unease. Vibraphones and light percussive hits dance over basslines and guitar figures, keeping the arrangements in motion and giving the album its own sonic fingerprint.
Lyrically, Stratton delivers with quiet vulnerability, navigating themes of identity, paranoia, suffering, anarchy, catharsis, and love. His words often act as a counterpoint to the music’s intricate framework, offering moments of stillness within the shifting arrangements.
Although largely a solo effort, Smile in the Mirror features contributions from vibraphonist Isaiah Petrie and other collaborators. Mixing was handled by Daniel Gum, with mastering by Bryan Nolte.
Fans of Alex G, Elliott Smith, Andy Shauf, Nick Drake, and Wilco will find familiar signposts here, but Stratton’s combination of precision, atmosphere, and restraint makes Smile in the Mirror feel distinct. It’s an album where the details—an unexpected chord change, a shimmering layer of keys, a sudden swell of rhythm—add up to something immersive and singular.
Smile in the Mirror will be available August 19 on streaming platforms via Enigmatic Brunch Records.
