Pom Pom Squad Announces New Album — And It’s Inspired by Sailor Moon (Exclusive)

Three years after their breakout debut album, Death of A Cheerleader, Pom Pom Squad is gearing up to release their follow-up. On July 30th, the New York-based band announced Mirror Starts Moving Without Me, out October 25th on City Slang Records.

“The title is inspired by a horror movie trope; the classic scene where the mirror does something different than the subject it’s reflecting,” singer Mia Berrin tells NYLON in an exclusive first interview about the album. “In the case of horror movies, that reflection typically symbolizes the darker side or darker ambitions of the character.” The album sees Barrin embracing that dark side, evident in the first single, “Spinning,” and it’s video, out now. “A lot of the lyrics on the album have to do with watching or analyzing yourself, so I knew I wanted to create a surveillance room setup for something,” Berrin says. “It turned out to be a really fun home-base for the ‘Spinning’ video.”

Here Berrin, details the album, from it’s unexpected Sailor Moon-inspired beginning, to what fans should expect to hear.

What was the starting point for this new album?

It started with Sailor Moon, which is kind of funny. There was a moment a few years ago when I felt like I’d lost myself completely – just a really dark, difficult time. As a result, I tried to shut myself off from my feelings. I didn’t write for a year. I had a conversation with my mom one day that really turned things around for me. I was asking her about my childhood – from the earliest age I was obsessed with Sailor Moon and I remember her going to the ends of the earth to find Sailor Moon VHS tapes and toys for my sister and I – which was much harder than than it is now! I asked her how that started and what compelled her to put in that much effort and she said something along the lines of “it’s just what you always gravitated towards.” Which got me thinking about the things I liked when I was really young before there was any outside influence to like anything. My partner and I watched every single episode of Sailor Moon that year and I was touched to find out how overtly queer it is. It was heavily censored in the US to remove a lot of the queer content, but some of my favorite episodes, even when I was watching the censored version were the really queer episodes. It made me realize that I’ve always been me. From there I started trying to reengage with the things I loved as a kid and ultimately, it helped me to re-find myself. The album is really rooted in that journey – stripping myself back down to the core.

When did you know you were finished writing it?

I still don’t know if I’m finished writing it. This process was different than anything I’ve ever done before and a lot of it ended up down to the wire. For some of these songs I was still finishing the lyrics while I was in the vocal booth or the night before we went into the studio. This project was especially vulnerable for me and it took me a while to be able to admit a lot of these feelings to myself let alone make them into something listenable.

What were some of the films that inspired the record title?

I was particularly inspired by Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue and Paprika, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan for this project. They’re all stories about identity and the confusing, sometimes horrifying means in which the character finds self-acceptance. A huge inspiration for the album is my journey of self-acceptance – how I’ve learned to cope with experiences and embrace my dark side a bit.

Why does "Spinning" work for the main single on the album/speak to themes in general?

Where Downhill represented a darker, more indulgent side of the album, Spinning represents a more candid, vulnerable side of the album. The lyrics were originally inspired by a poem I wrote on tour about my relationship to my persona but developed into something more focused on my relationship with my past self and what I wish I could warn her about. Some things happened to me I’m not quite ready to talk about – maybe I’ll get there eventually – but the aftermath was that I felt like the trajectory of my life changed. I had to mourn a version of myself that I’d never get to be. It felt like there was a version of my future that was taken from me. It took me a long time to write a song about it, but I’m really grateful I got there.

What are you most excited for fans to hear in this new album?

I’m so proud of the lyrics. There are some fun easter eggs and references hidden in them. I’m also really proud of the production. I had a heavier hand in it this time around and learned to trust myself a lot more in that process. Even though Mirror was the most collaborative project I’ve ever worked on, it feels like the clearest distillation of my voice as an artist yet. I’m very grateful for the people I had around me during this process (my bandmates, Shelby, Alex, Lauren, and Alina, and my co-producer Cody).