Find your best self in the 'ocean full of mirrors' with Machine on a Break's new single
- Keely Naylon
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Pop-metal phenom ‘Machine on a Break’ delivers yet again with a cinematic, anthemic and ethereal track, ‘Ocean Full of Mirrors’ (released 20 February).
Machine on a Break is a solo, female-fronted, project, emerging in 2022 with several well-received singles and a burgeoning live act.
Ever since then, Machine on a Break has only grown, serving fans tracks that combine the melodic sensibilities of pop with all the familiar instrumental hallmarks of metal. She’s since opened for some of Australia’s great performers such as WAAX, Patient Sixty-Seven, and Clay J Gladstone.
She self-describes Machine on a Break as being ‘If Taylor Swift joined a metal band’. She delves into her own psyche, her personal life, to pull out beautiful and thought provoking lyrics set to cinematic, edgy, and heavy tracks.
‘Ocean Full of Mirrors’ is a song that has been highly anticipated by fans of ‘Machine on a Break’, the track already winning Listen Up’s ACT Songwriting Prize and placing 4th Australia wide.
“I wrote this song after the identity I spent my adult years building shattered into a million different pieces during an abusive relationship. This song is about rebuilding and finding the version of myself that is even better than before, as a result of spending time with someone who brought out the best of me.’
The track has familiar metal elements, akin to Sleep Token or Bad Omens, loud, crunchy guitars and driving, passionate drums with an additional intriguing synth that provides a tasteful sting of intrigue and colour. Machine on a Break intermingles genres beautifully, unafraid to strip back the heavy-metal elements to focus on her soulful, clear, and captivating voice, and give more pop-like verses.
Machine on a Break’s vocals are a standout on the track, reminiscent of Jinjer’s vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk’s clear singing voice, emotive, expansive, and full-bodied. Her vocals are filled with a sense of hope, reflecting the lyrics of the song, as Machine on a Break grapples with feeling ready to finally ‘choose this girl here, she's growing clearly into the best of any of me.’
There’s a huge sound to the song, the guitars feel massive, filling out the space, whilst the drums give the track a needed energy, playful and intricate. Particularly enjoyable is the synth sounds scattered throughout the track that bring in that aforementioned colour, and also give the song an additional expansive feel, providing the track an added depth.
‘Ocean Full of Mirrors’ is a track that fans of Paramore, Sleep Token, and Poppy will love. She’s not afraid of mixing genres, she’s not afraid of stepping back and best of all, she’s not afraid of leaning in.
When the guitars come in before the final chorus, loud, furious, and fast, it’s heart-racing and energising. When we’re left with only vocals, it feels ethereal, as though we’re floating through this ocean with Machine on a Break, peeking into each mirror ourselves.
Machine on a Break is a force to be reckoned with, each new single released garnering more traction than the last, and she doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Her upcoming career is best said in Machine in a Break’s own words.
“If you try to sleep on her she will wake you the fuck up.”
STREAM ‘OCEAN FULL OF MIRRORS’ ON ALL MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS.
