Vanity Mirror: Super Fluff Forever [Album Review]

Vanity Mirror
Super Fluff Forever
We Are Busy Bodies/Having Fun Records [2025]

“A warm, woolly daydream of harmonies, tape hiss, and pure pop heart.”

Album Overview: Vanity Mirror is the creative partnership between Canadian musician Brent Randall and Los Angeles drummer Johnny Toomey. The two first collaborated in the retro-pop outfit Electric Looking Glass before launching Vanity Mirror to explore a more intimate and experimental corner of pop. Their 2023 debut Puff introduced a lo-fi, homespun approach full of charm and melody.

Super Fluff Forever builds on Puff’s foundation but moves deeper into exploratory pop territory. Written and recorded mostly by Randall on a laptop with a few guitars, mics, and a Craigslist piano, the album radiates warmth and ingenuity. Toomey’s drum parts—tracked remotely in Los Angeles—while honorary third member Madeline Doctor adds subtle harmonies and piano textures expanding the sound, giving these songs a lived-in glow. It’s an album that wears its pop history proudly while feeling refreshingly new, full of harmonies, vintage tones, and melodies that stick around long after the record stops spinning.

Musical Style: Jangly guitars, vintage keys, airy percussion, and sun-dappled harmonies shape Super Fluff Forever’s dreamy yet grounded aesthetic. It’s a collage of eras—equal parts lo-fi psych, early power pop, and ’70s singer-songwriter warmth. Flutes, tape echo, and spare piano lines add a playful touch, while Randall’s melodic instincts keep everything cohesive and inviting.

Evolution of Sound: If Puff celebrated lo-fi pop’s colorful sprawl, Super Fluff Forever tightens the focus. The songs feel leaner and more intentional, showing how much Randall and Toomey have grown into their minimalist setup. There’s a quiet confidence in how they embrace limitations—turning simplicity into a strength. The result is a set of pure pop experiments that feel both familiar and freshly personal.

Artists with Similar Fire: Fans of Emitt Rhodes, Harry Nilsson, The Zombies, or Paul McCartney’s solo years will find plenty to lock into here. You can also hear shades of Canadian power-pop greats Sloan and the melodic punch of Velvet Crush or Matthew Sweet. Modern parallels might include Cotton Jones, The Clientele, or Papercuts—any artist that shares an affection for melody, mood, and understatement.

Pivotal Tracks: “White Butterfly” kicks things off with bright, British-influenced pop energy and a wandering guitar hook that sets the mood perfectly. “Jack of All Trades” leans into vintage college-radio crunch, while “I Don’t Wanna Hold Your Hand” adds fuzzy surf momentum. Softer standouts like “Painted Blue,” “Plastic Heart,” and especially “Apple Tree” reveal Randall’s tender side—“Apple Tree” in particular feels like a career highlight, stripped down to piano, emotion, and effortless melody.

Lyrical Strength: Randall writes with a keen eye for the small, beautiful moments in life—half-remembered details, fleeting connections, and quiet doubts. His lyrics balance sincerity and humor, often grounded in the ordinary but illuminated by wonder. These songs nod to pop’s golden past while capturing timeless emotions about love, uncertainty, and finding beauty in simplicity.

Final Groove: Super Fluff Forever is a confident, lovingly handmade record that proves Vanity Mirror is more than a nostalgic side project—it’s a band refining its own sweet spot. With a slightly sharper focus and deeper feeling than Puff, this album glows like sunlight on a dusty vinyl sleeve: familiar, comforting, but still capable of surprise. If Randall and Toomey continue down this road, the next chapter could be their pop masterpiece.

VANITY MIRROR REVIEW HISTORY
Puff (2023)

VANITY MIRROR LINKS
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