30 October 2026 – Stephen Steinbrink Releases In a Split Mirror and Turns Memories Into Beautifully Uncertain Indie-Folk

Oakland singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist Stephen Steinbrink releases In a Split Mirror today through Sedimentary Archive and Mansions and Millions. The project marks his landmark tenth full-length album, continuing a two-decade career distinguished by immaculate pop arrangements, lyrical tenderness and a restless desire to probe memory's strange distortions.

Much of the album was written and tracked during Steinbrink's tenure at Headlands Center for the Arts, a renowned artist residency housed within former military barracks overlooking the Pacific coastline in Marin County. The center's breezy ocean vistas and cavernous wooden architecture directly shaped the album's spacious, acoustic-led arrangements.

Steinbrink assembled a wonderful group of musical collaborators, including pianist Andrew Dorsett, experimental saxophonist Cole Pulice, drummer Chase Kamp and pedal-steel wizard Nick Levine. Singles "Magic Mirror" and "I'm a Swimming Pool" introduced the record's themes of identity and childhood recollection. While "Magic Mirror" was sparked by encountering an elderly man who bore an uncanny resemblance to himself, "I'm a Swimming Pool" relives the sensory sensation of floating alone under the blazing Arizona desert sun.

Across eleven tracks—including "Fragmented Soul", "Black Waterfall" and "Driving Around in Arizona"—Steinbrink demonstrates his singular ability to transform everyday domestic memories into cosmic existential questions. The result is an understated masterpiece of contemporary indie-folk. Discover more acoustic highlights in our folk section and browse our reviews hub.