I became a vampire ten years ago. It was then that I ceased to have a reflection. When I look in a mirror I see, not myself, but a stranger who stands behind me. The countenance of the stranger blends the faces of my father and my mother’s father. He is aging rapidly while my appearance – I assume – remains that of a young man gamboling through the early years of the Obama Administration.

I tick another box on the Vampire Checklist by wandering. In the decade since my reflection disappeared, I have lived in six houses or apartments, spread across two states. My current residence is the castle in which I will live until I am besieged by a mob of angry villagers wielding pitchforks and torches.

On my travels I have been accompanied by my untrustworthy sidekick, Milkshake. I hope to someday acquire a proper hunchback. But until one turns up on eBay, I’ll have to make do with a grumpy old cat.

In ‘No Reflection,’ Doug Hoyer channels the thoughts of a vampire who is weary of the constant reboots, the unfollows and the unfriends, and the replacements that recall deja vu all over again.

I’m tired of starting again.
Roll into the next town, waiting for the end.
New friends, I swear we’ve met before.
And it breaks my heart
When they invite me in through the door.

Is Doug Hoyer a vampire? In the few years that I’ve been following him, Doug has migrated from Edmonton to Athens GA to Chicago to Calgary. Plenty of next towns on his map. Hmm… Well, if Doug’s a vampire then he sings pretty well for someone with a mouthful of fangs.

Doug Hoyer describes ‘No Reflection’ as ‘a scrappy demo, a little rough around the edges… that didn’t quite make the cut for my fifth album, Character Witness.’ Today’s track is Doug’s third appearance in these virtual pages. We previously featured ‘Runaway,’ the first single from Character Witness, and ‘Haven’t Thought of You In So Long (and I’d like to keep it that way)’ from his 2014 EP, Blood Döner. Hey! ‘No Reflection’… Blood Döner… This is starting to add up. Someone fetch the wooden stake!

Doug Hoyer’s music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. Be sure to visit Doug’s website, and follow Doug Hoyer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.