Refracted is a whole lot of everything. It’s angry, it’s serene, it’s energetic, it’s solemn all at once. The fantastically imaginative project from singer-songwriter Mrs Bubbles is impossible to tie down purely because of how experimental and offbeat it is. At its core, Refracted probably is a piece of hyperpop with elements of art rock that give it that extra edge. The full length project isn’t just creative in its soundscapes. Conceptually, Mrs Bubbles has split the album into two distinct parts that are unified by a singular storyline that blends them together in the tracklist.
It’s clear that there’s been a lot of time, energy, and passion poured into this album. Having started to craft it in September of 2020, Mrs Bubbles delivers in making each song its own unique universe that sit in unique silos that occupy their own genres. Starting with a haunting under minute long intro in ‘Shards’, the album takes a drastic shift into S.H.Y, where the more eccentric hyper pop style takes full sway. But immediately after, on ‘Words’, Mrs Bubbles retreats to a more traditional and restrained indie pop tune that doesn’t rely too much on autotune or experimentation of any kind. The electric guitar adds a heavier edge to an otherwise mellow piece. The album continually seems to oscillate between eccentric and melodic, wholeheartedly eclectic throughout.
As mentioned, the album falls into two conceptual buckets. Firstly, Mrs Bubbles talks about her grieving process after being emotionally broken by a situation as well as the consequent response. The haphazard nature of the albums themes go in line with her own muddled up experience through the stages of grief. The second concept describes what it’s like to be surrounded by glass, which also plays into the album’s name as it’s only a refracted version of herself that she feels others can see.
When asked about her artistry and creative process, Mrs Bubbles gave an answer that was remarkably revealing and does wonderful justice to her craft. “I have looked for many ways to express myself through the years. I have words to express myself through writing. I have sounds to express myself through music. I have my body to express myself through dancing. I have photos and videos to express myself through visual arts. Any of these, even combining all of them will never be enough to truly express ourselves as human beings and precisely capture our thoughts and emotions. But as artists, we can try.”
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