Fake Shark – Real Zombie! broke onto the scene as an eclectic dance-punk MySpace buzz band in 2005. Founding members Kevvy Mental and Louis Wu later joined forces with Tony Dallas and then with Alex Glassford and Jake Fox to complete the band we know now as Fake Shark. This Vancouver-based group has changed and evolved much more than just their name and members.
Over the past decade and a half, Fake Shark has had their music featured on television, in film, surpassed hundreds of thousands of streams and toured with acts from Mindless Self Indulgence to Marianas Trench. The group shifted gears from their post-hardcore roots with their 2013 release Liar! – adopting a more polished electronic-pop sound that remains present on their third full-length album, House of Mirrors.
When reflecting on the new record, the band says:
“Our album [House of Mirrors] is mainly about your inner turmoil coming to the surface because everywhere you look you see yourself and the things that you should probably address about yourself. I wrote a good portion of it in downtown Los Angeles.”
Fake Shark's first release following their 2018 album Walking Through A Fantasy was the anthemic single “Invincible.”
"We've all been to hell and back together, been hit with everything this industry can throw at us and we keep coming back. ‘Invincible’ kicks off a new phase in Fake Shark's career with characteristic vigor, and it's anyone's guess what's next.”
Two more glimpses into the realm of House of Mirrors followed with singles “Bad Chemistry” and “Superstitious Thing.”
“‘Bad Chemistry’ is a song about making the wrong decisions romantically in the relationship. It’s about being selfish and being impulsive in the moment. It’s about finding it sexy to be dysfunctional.”
Released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, their third single presented a whole new set of challenges for the band.
Teaming up with Johnny Jansen, Fake Shark decided the solution was to create a video from old stock horror footage, complemented by clips of Kevvy singing the words to the song from different angles in order for his mouth to be superimposed into the scenes. The end result is wonderfully eerie and eye-catching.
Despite the band's tumultuous journey, Fake Shark’s third release with Light Organ Records is their best work to date. Though they have changed their sound over the years, House of Mirrors was done expertly and is to be enjoyed wholly and repeatedly – it's a well-crafted collection; jam-packed with seven punchy, funky, upbeat tracks.
From beginning to end, House of Mirrors reflects the creative and quirky energies of the band itself –eccentric, animated and magnetic. Each song flows effortlessly into the next, making it next to impossible to pinpoint just one standout track.
From the psychedelic opener “Superstitious Thing,” to the 80s-flavoured euphoric love song “L-ectric Touch,” to a more rock-centric banger “Something's Gotta Give,” House of Mirrors combines elements of a variety of genres and inspirations.
Overall, their latest release delivers high quality pop-rock, great riffs, catchy choruses and atmospheric melodies. House of Mirrors comes as a dose of electrifying and uplifting energy that is much needed in these unprecedented times, we are currently living in. This is exactly what the world needs, a feel-good vibe to lose control to, to dance to and to heal to.
HOUSE OF MIRRORS TRACKLIST:
SUPERSTITIOUS THING
BAD CHEMISTRY
L - ECTRIC TOUCH
LOVE THE THOUGHT OF YOU
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
KILLING ME
