There is a line in Demon, one of the standout tracks on Buck Meek’s fourth solo album, The Mirror, that acknowledges the debt Meek owes to his friend and musical collaborator Tucker Zimmerman. Though Demon was recorded before Zimmerman and his partner Marie-Claire Lambert were tragically killed in a house fire in January, the song stands as a fitting homage to a rare and singular talent. It also tells you a lot about Buck Meek, about how he views music as a constant collaboration and an ever-growing lineage. ‘The line between us all is thin,’ he sings, recognising that acts of creativity can never exist in a vacuum, as strange background noises infiltrate the song’s inherent tunefulness, and the wiry guitar lines Meek has made his stock in trade snake around the song’s freewheeling heart.
Meek is, in a sense, something of a throwback, a true American outsider, aware that the traditions and landscapes he taps into predate him, always respectful of those traditions even when forging ahead to create new sounds. He works within and around the established idioms of American folk and country music, but both his solo output and that of Big Thief (for whom he plays guitar) draw on a much wider range of musical touchstones, from slacker rock to new age and free jazz. The Mirror sees him play the twin roles of introverted songwriter and dusty Texan country rocker, a dualism hinted at by the album’s title. That dualism surfaces all over the place. Ring of Fire’s title is a knowing nod to the outlaw history of country music, but the song itself is defined by tight and almost poppy production values. ‘Rock and roll is in my blood,’ Meek sings softly. Soul Feeling, by contrast, is a full-blooded Southern rocker with strangely hymn-like verses.
Though these songs seem to have simple hearts, they are stretched and moulded into unusual shapes, partly thanks to Meek’s Big Thief bandmate James Krivchenia, whose production, though light of touch, is crucial to the overall sound. Featherbed electronics and itchy programmed drums abound, framing Meek’s songs as journeys between past and present. Modular synths, triggered by the band’s instruments during recording sessions, create an extra layer or a kind of abstract musical mirror world. A large cast of musicians – including Big Thief singer Adrianne Lenker, harpist Mary Lattimore, ambient composer Alex Somers, synth wizard Adrian Olsen, Meek’s brother Dylan on keys, and no less than four drummers. Long-term musical partners Adam Brisbin on guitar and Ken Woodward on bass are again present. Even the most stripped-back songs, like the softly strummed God Knows Why, reveal deeper layers on multiple listens.
The lyrics too seem to open up the more you listen to them. The fast-moving shuffle of the opening track Gasoline revels in invented nonsense words that seem to become more meaningful with every chorus. Pretty Flowers is, on the face of it, a simple song about divinity and the preciousness of the natural world. Really, it’s about what we can learn from simplicity. Many of these songs are about coming to terms with perceived weaknesses and flaws, perhaps embracing them, but always being honest about them. Can I Mend It examines anger and its aftermaths with clear-eyed seriousness, but also with a light melodic touch, a hint that repair is possible.
Meek is always capable of curveballs, like the semi-spoken opening of Worms (redolent of Basement Tapes era Dylan, Lo and Behold! in particular) and the short, unexpected twist of electric guitar that puts a jolt through the same song. But it’s always backed up by his highly impressive songwriting and quietly confident singing. Outta Body, the sweet and twitchy closing track, has a melody and a satisfying sense of resolution that James Taylor or Paul Simon would be proud of, but the lyrics continue to carve deeper into Meek’s thematic preoccupations of doubling and mirroring. This time, it is the self (and, with it, its inherent vulnerability) that is doubled. Vulnerable it may be, but Meek’s work is already firmly imprinted on the complex map of Americana. The Mirror will only add to his growing reputation as a solo artist.
The Mirror (February 27th, 2026) 4AD
Pre-Order The Mirror: https://buckmeek.ffm.to/themirror
BUCK MEEK TOUR DATES
12 March – SOUTH PASADENA, CA, Sid The Cat Auditorium*
16 March – DUBLIN, IE, Whelan’s*
17 March – MANCHESTER, UK, YES | Pink Room*
18 March – GLASGOW, UK, Mono*
20 March – LONDON, UK, EartH Theatre*
21 March – LEEDS, UK, Brudenell Social Club*
22 March – BRISTOL, UK, Exchange*
24 March – PARIS, FR, Point Éphémère*
25 March – BRUSSELS, BE, AB Club*
26 March – AMSTERDAM, NL, Paradiso | Tolhuistuin*
27 March – NIJMEGEN, NL, Doornroosje*
28 March – SPRINGE, DE, Gut Bennigsen*
29 March – BERLIN, DE, Neue Zukunft*
31 March – COPENHAGEN, DK, Hotel Cecil*
1 April – HELSINIKI, FL, G Livelab Helsinki (Solo) &
2 April – TAMPERE, FL, G Livelab Tampere (Solo) &
*= w/ Kisser
& = Germaine Dunes
For tickets and information, head HERE.