In times of upheaval, people look to artists to help sort through the madness. Nashville’s EG Vines is a voice that stands out above the rest, combining folk songwriting with a sharp wit and nuanced point of view. All of this is on display on his upcoming second album, Through the Mirror, a sizzling rock record from an artist on the rise. Against a backdrop marked by a pandemic, social upheaval, and national elections, Vines cuts through the noise to deliver profound and moving messages. 2020 single “Them” showcases what to expect of the upcoming LP, as he bemoans the polarized shouting matches that play out every day in the news and on social media. Much of Through the Mirror—which was recorded locally at Nashville’s Skinny Elephant Recording with co-producer Dylan Alldredge—sees Vines drawing inspiration from punk and alt-rock favorites from his youth like Green Day, R.E.M., and Radiohead, both musically and socially. Vines delivers his own views against biting riffs and pulsing drums while encouraging listeners to critically engage with the world around them to inform their own ways of thinking, drawing on his love of Jason Isbell and Bob Dylan as inspirations for his storytelling. Calling the album a Rorschach test for the modern world, Vines delivers his messages through a wide array of subjects on his songs, from American history to what theoretical alien visitors might think when they arrive on Earth.