Meet James from Fickle Hill, a guy who’s been making music for over thirty years and isn’t about to play it safe now. After ditching the corporate world, he set up shop in his bedroom and created something that feels brand-new in a world full of overproduced gibberish. This Irvine-based artist has always jumped between genres like he’s channel surfing, and “Future in The Mirror” shows exactly why that approach works.
“Independence sounds like whispers refusing to become screams.”
“Future in The Mirror” packs sixteen tracks that hit different every time you listen. James draws from influences like Tool, Radiohead, and Smashing Pumpkins, but he’s not trying to copy anyone. He’s created something that feels like a long conversation with a friend who’s been through some stuff and has thoughts about where we’re all heading. The album tackles everything from California wildfires to personal struggles.
The bedroom recording gives everything a raw, immediate feel, making it feel like he’s sitting right there with you, working through his thoughts about climate change, social issues, and what it means to be human in 2025. The genre-hopping throughout these sixteen tracks could have been a mess, but James knew what he was doing. One minute you’re getting post-punk energy, the next you’re deep in indie rock territory, and then being transcended into metalcore intensity hits you when you least expect it. It sounds chaotic on paper, but it flows naturally because every shift serves the story he’s telling. His guitar work follows the same philosophy, technical when the song calls for it, stripped down when that serves the story better.
By the time you reach the final tracks, “Future in the Mirror” has taken you somewhere. Not necessarily somewhere comfortable, but somewhere honest. James is asking the right questions and doing it with enough heart to make you care about finding your own answers.
If you’re tired of music that sounds like it was designed by an algorithm, give “Future in The Mirror” a listen. Sometimes the most important albums are the ones that remind you why music exists in the first place.
Muse Chronicle 
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