Nicole Alexis’ debut EP Mirrors and Smoke captures the feeling of yearning, heartache and the internal conflicts that ignite between following your heart and doing what you know is best for you. Across its four tracks, the project explores the complexities of wanting something deeper with someone, losing yourself in the process, and ultimately recognizing when it’s time to let go of a relationship that is no longer healthy.
With this, Alexis, who performs under the stylized name N/A, has curated a listening experience that is so intimate and deeply personal, but yet it still feels relatable to anyone who has fought between love and self-preservation. Through acoustic guitar and passionate vocals, Alexis builds a world throughout Mirrors and Smoke that puts listeners through an emotional storm, where feelings become all-consuming until faced head-on.
Alexis has been in music for a long time, having contributed to the writing and production of other artists’ projects while also building a following of her own with her beautiful covers of artists like Kelly Clarkson and My Chemical Romance. Now, with the release of Mirrors and Smoke, she steps fully into her own independent artistry. While Alexis’ past work showcased her technical ability, this project feels far more personal, allowing her to explore the emotional push and pull of navigating relationships as a young woman in her 20s. Rather than building off something externally driven, Mirrors and Smoke introduces Alexis as a storyteller in her own right, grounded in vulnerability and emotional honesty.
The EP leans into a stripped-back indie pop style, perfectly driven by acoustic guitar and subtle tension-building instrumentals. These sounds create an atmosphere that feels intimate and emotionally charged, letting the weight of the lyrics fully shine. Alexis navigates perseverance and inner conflict in a way that captures the highs and lows of holding onto something, although it may already be slipping away.
“Just a Friend” opens with a striking acoustic guitar riff, which immediately establishes a passionately conflicted tone. This song reflects on the emotional toll Alexis feels existing in the gray area between friendship and a possible romantic connection. The lyrics portray Alexis’ hopefulness for what could be, before ultimately being consumed by the painful reality of what is. She leans into a soft, almost pleading vocal delivery, singing the deeply honest lines: “Tell me if it’s over / Because I can’t go any longer.”
There is a quiet sense of heartbreak and desperation woven throughout “Close 2 U,” carried along by soft acoustic strumming. While “Just a Friend” explores a friend who doesn’t feel the same way, this track explores the painful realization that a relationship is no longer working, no matter how much you try to make it last. Lines like “I’d break my own heart just to be close to you” highlight the emotional contradiction at the core of the song, where logic and feeling are completely at odds.
Within “Runner,” the EP’s third track,” Alexis recognizes her relationship is no longer healthy, but she finds herself struggling to walk away, admitting, “I reach for the light, but my loyalty’s sworn.” The track conveys the feeling of tirelessly fighting for the person you love, even at the expense of your own well-being — a theme neatly woven throughout Mirrors and Smoke.
The final track, “Don’t Tell Me To Breathe,” introduces a noticeable shift in tone: frustration and a quiet anger. Here, Alexis pushes back against those who dismiss or minimize her emotions, exploring what it feels like to be misunderstood while navigating intense grief and heartbreak. The chorus reflects this tension, as she resists being told to simply “calm down,” instead, emphasizing the true depth of what she’s feeling. This moment adds another layer to the EP, showcasing not just Alexis’ feeling of sadness, but also her personal strength.
Nicole Alexis has carried talent with her throughout all her years of artistry, but Mirrors and Smoke seamlessly brings it to the next level. With this project, she establishes herself as a deeply relatable and emotionally driven storyteller capable of transforming personal life experiences into something familiar, relatable and impactful to listeners.
Mirrors and Smoke not only marks a shift into a more self-empowered era of Alexis’ artistry but also reminds listeners that even the messiest emotions deserve to be felt, validated and expressed.
Keep up with Nicole Alexis:
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