Jaye Madison Releases “MIRЯOR: Framework” EP

With a raging rhythm immediately distinguishing their passion from that of their closest rivals in and out of the American underground, alternative country duo Jaye Madison welcome us into their new EP MIRЯOR: Framework with a bang, signaling much of what listeners can expect to hear in all four songs in the opening track “Catch 22.”

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A reference to the classic phrase which has taken on an even heavier meaning in recent years and that moves at a pace much faster than its stylistic influences ever could, don’t let its title fool you – “Catch 22” is as anxious a groove-powered country song as this group can muster without going completely off the rails. Their moxie alone makes this a credible listen, but what’s more is that it isn’t coupled with self-righteousness.  

“Shadow Man” slows things down for a moment only to open up a progressive flow that will eventually turn the audience over to the fire and brimstone-style beats near the two-minute mark in the song. This is probably the loftiest and most conceptual piece of material on the record, but it doesn’t aesthetically minimize the integrity of the other tracks at all – in fact, the exact opposite. There’s something to be said about the multilayered approach Jaye Madison is taking to the fundamentals of pop/country songwriting in songs like this one and, to a lesser degree, “In the Grey,” both of which have the right style to make for choice singles if the group wishes to release them as such.  

I found “In the Grey” to be the most conventional song on MIRЯOR: Framework, and when sandwiched between “Shadow Man” and “Devil I Know,” it serves as a nice calm amid a powerful storm. “Devil I Know” brings us to the conclusion of the record on a more somber note, alluding to the subjects of death, mortality, and the self-awareness that comes with being one of the people left behind to process the loss, and while it’s a lot darker a look than the previous tracks present us with, its deeper meaning doesn’t get lost in the poetic details. I can’t say for certain, but if I had to guess, I’d say all four of the compositions on this EP came from a personal place, which hasn’t been true of many country albums or extended plays to hit the market in 2023.  

DOWNLOAD LINK: https://stem.ffm.to/mirrorframework

Jaye Madison wasn’t a band I was at all familiar with before getting introduced to their music with the release of MIRЯOR: Framework, but now that I’ve been made aware of what they can do when their chemistry is left to simmer inside of a recording studio, I’ll be eagerly anticipating more music from their moniker in the near future. Any critics who have claimed that country was dead – or, at the very least, on its last legs – this season haven’t been paying attention to the underground; otherwise, I think they would have thought twice upon discovering the music of this amazingly talented band.  

Nicole Killian