It’s been six years since Porter Robinson released his album Worlds and fans are anxiously-awaiting his upcoming record Nurture. Robinson ushered in a new, wistful era with his singles “Get Your Wish” and “Something Comforting” earlier this year. The musician dropped his third single, “Mirror,” in late August and now, Robinson returns with a glitchy video alongside the airy single.
The visual opens in a dark and lush forest. An animated drawing of Robinson appears on the screen, guiding the viewer into the woods. The scenes are cut with animated flowers and 3D-rendered trees, bringing a new dimension to the surreal visual.
In a statement shared alongside the single’s release, Porter said the track is about being his own worst critic:
“‘Mirror’ is a song about the costs of being hard on yourself. We all have these avatars that we give to our critical inner voices – we might imagine a scornful parent telling us we’ll fail, or a critic telling us our work comes up short, or a society telling us that we aren’t good enough – it’s about recognizing that most of this criticism is self-inflicted. For years, I was imagining the worst thing a critic might say about my music and looking at my own work as negatively as possible as a way to protect myself from criticism, but it never once served me. My hope is that other people can overcome this same kind of shame – it can be really liberating to recognize that most of the time, we’re only letting our own thoughts get in the way, and we can do something about it.”
Watch Robinson’s “Mirror” video above.
