Story of the Single: "Mirrored Souls" by Gold Steps

So far the reception has been really positive! We've gotten some great praise for the matured sound and lyrics, and a lot of people have commented on the catchiness of the melodies. We've loved this song since we first wrote it and felt like it would really resonate with people, and so far our gut seems to have been right.

I tend to be a person who revisits the past a lot in my mind, using it as inspiration or just reflecting on how I've learned or grown (or not!) from my life experiences. So I'd had a thought about writing a song on this topic of lost love, but never found the right vehicle for it while demoing. During the writing session for this song, I felt that pull of the past in the riffs that we were working on; there was a melancholy note underlying our go to pop rock sound. A couple of the initial instrumentals reminded me a little of "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman, and got me thinking about love that didn't work out, or that you return to in your mind, and I picked up that feeling and went with it.

The song was initially written and demoed in a writing session with our longtime collaborator, Nick Thompson (Hit The Lights, Thief Club). When we took the song home, we had an initial rough mix that was completed by Jason Sowers, who works independently and keeps a low profile. We played around with the song in practice and played it live for a few shows to get a good feel for how we wanted it to turn out. We tracked everything ourselves in early 2025, and had a completed version of the track that we were planning to release in October. However, after feeling unsettled with that version, we ended up turning back to Jason to get it to where we knew it needed to be, and in the process ended up retracking the vocals and some other pieces to make sure the final version was perfect for our listeners. It was a long journey and a lot more work than we initially thought, but it was all worth it because Jason nailed the final mix. He also tapped Andreas Magnusson at Planet Red to master.

I wanted the video to match the wistful and pensive emotions of the song, this longing for answers in the present by looking to the past. Bodies of water and spending time in the woods up north, in nature, always helps me feel grounded and more calm when I'm feeling unmoored or detached. So, I wanted to showcase a couple of naturally beautiful Wisconsin settings where I and others seek comfort and peace. The first setting in the woods was filmed at the base of Holy Hill (which added another setting where people often go to find answers, in their faith); we came upon those eerie structures made from tree branches and thought they were perfect to drive home that feeling of mysticism and unsettled emotions. Then we headed to South Shore Park in my neighborhood, where Zach and I spend a lot of time each year, walking or riding bikes along the lakefront. We actually filmed a number of scenes in our music video "Front Row" in the same area. Something about the vastness of Lake Michigan, not being able to see the other side, reminds me of how small I am compared to the world, and the sound of the waves and blue of the water always seems to calm me. Like, that there are things beyond my control, and that's okay, because such is nature, and life. Also, if you do need a place to dramatically sob or fret and get it all out, it's a great place for that, since there's plenty of pretty isolated patches along the lake. The dark and moody scenes for the tarot reading were really to drive home that this idea of living in the past was harmful, and sending me down a dark path mentally and spiritually. The tarot reading, presented as a common past-present-future reading, is meant to convey that this past relationship was holding me back from moving on and enjoying life with someone else. The Lovers card (past) suggests that the relationship may have been passionate, but built on a weak foundation, or that perhaps viewing it through memories was romanticizing over the painful parts of the relationship. The Moon (present) signifies revisiting those memories was causing confusion and emotional pain, and The Five of Cups (future) represents that continuing to mourn the past would lead only to more grief, but that closing the chapter and moving on would allow the discovery of future happiness and fulfillment. Throwing down the cards and leaving the room at the end signifies the choice I made; to put the past away and move on.

The lyrics were inspired by the concept of "the one that got away" that's often used in media, but more personally, there is someone who I lost touch with many years ago, but I still wonder about him and hope that he's doing well now. The song is about romanticizing the past, when there was a reason why the relationship didn't work out. As you get older, you look back on your past and wonder if your current life would be different if X, Y, or Z had happened. Especially for people who've had a failed relationship where there wasn't closure, sometimes that anxiety rears its ugly head, sparked by a moment or a late night of insomnia. The what ifs, the wondering... If I fixed what I'd done wrong back then, would we have been able to work it out? Could we have salvaged things, if we'd just been less stubborn? Or were we always doomed, only meant to connect for that little bit of time? I have pretty severe anxiety, so my mind is always ruminating, revisiting, torturing myself over things I've said or did. So there is a level of myself in there; if I wasn't happily married, I could see myself bargaining with ghosts and fate over the mistakes I made in a previous relationship and exploring every "what if" possible.

We definitely have more diversity in our next singles. You'll get a couple songs that express our anxiety and frustration with the state of the world, a carefree summer love bop, a confessional track that incorporates some Midwest emo riffs, and of course, complete the emotional whirlwind with a dark, angsty track about wanting someone out of your life. Oh, and did I forget to mention? We'll actually be releasing a full-length after all these singles, with a solid number of non-single track.