Making Mirrors
Making Mirrors is the third and most recent studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, released in Australia on 19 August 2011. In December 2011, it was announced that Making Mirrors was voted Triple J listeners' number-one album of 2011, making Gotye the first artist to win the Triple J album poll twice. It included the single "Somebody That I Used to Know", which reached and topped charts worldwide. In Poland, only one day after release, the album was certified platinum.[1] The album won the 2013 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.
The album was largely recorded at a converted studio at Gotye's parents' farm in the Mornington Peninsula.[2]
At the J Awards of 2011, the album won the Australian Album of the Year.[3]
Concept and themes[edit]
Shortly before its release, Gotye spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about the significance of the artwork, the title, and how it symbolises the creative and introspective process of recording the album; "It's more about reflection [...] little ways for me to explore my record collection, explore the world of sound that I'm fascinated by, and also sometimes get a different perspective on memories and emotions I've been mulling over".[4]
Gotye revealed that the second single from the album, "Somebody That I Used to Know", was not lyrically the result of a single break-up. "It wasn't about one specific relationship," explained De Backer in an interview, "but it was definitely drawn from various experiences I've had in relationships breaking up."[4]
Despite the album's huge success, Gotye revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone Australia that he initially battled with indecision and depression while making the album, which in turn became the subject matter of songs like "Smoke and Mirrors" (with a central theme of impostor syndrome) and "Save Me". He stated: "There were points that I thought I wouldn't be able to finish a record I was really into or that I'd give up at some stage."[15]
According to an interview in The Age, the track "State of the Art" is about a secondhand 1970s organ Gotye's parents purchased. The accompanying music video is an animation showing a family purchasing and playing the instrument, which captivates and transforms the family into metal people resembling organ pipes.