Emerging from London, Moving Mirrors are one of those bands not afraid to break the boundaries of what’s considered conventional, blending influences and cultural elements in order to create a unique and surprising stream of sonic blessing. Forming only last summer, the group has been debuting earlier this year, instantly showcasing their unique aesthetic.
‘Second Hand Lover’ is Moving Mirror’s latest effort, a piece that is as unique as they come. An eclectic and kaleidoscopic outfit, channelling everything from indie vibes to dreamy vocals, passing through experimental stylings, the record is an absolute gem. It needs to be experienced personally, trust us: the listening experience is authentic and wholesome. Passing from haunting vibes to angelic tones, Moving Mirrors often use juxtaposition as a means of expression.
Intrigued by the British outfit, we caught up with Moving Mirrors to find out more about their artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey guys, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
Hey Mesmerized (Sophie, Luke & Nick here). We are a 5 piece, alt-band based in London and formed together in 2022. We have quite a wide range of musical influences between the 5 of us, and our work definitely nods to a few different genres and makes for some experimental elements. Overall though, you could describe our sound as having a clear contrast between brawny, rich instrumental components and delicate, ranging vocals.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; How did you meet each other and what were your common influences?
Some of us in the band go way back (circa 20 years!), playing in different bands together and connecting via the Bristol music scene. When Luke and Sophie joined we were complete with bass and vocals. As a group we have a lot of common interests and love of great music, but as mentioned we are not all into exactly the same music, which is definitely a good thing and makes for a more dynamic creative process.
If you had the opportunity to pick any artists in the world for a collaboration, who would be your first choice? (and second choice, perhaps?)
Tough question, each of us will definitely have a different answer! For me (Sophie), Kadhja Bonet or Gabriels currently if I had to pick a single artist/band. Luke has listed Alvvays (his fave), Nick has gone for Thom Yorke or MC Yallah, PJ Harvey for Sean and finally for Christo, Bill Laswell. So multiple collaboration dreams, and as you can see a wide range of ones!
You recently released ‘Second Hand Lover’, and eclectic and kaleidoscopic gem. Channelling everything from indie vibes to dreamy vocals, passing through experimental stylings, the record is an absolute gem. Does it represent with Moving Mirrors stand for?
Thank you so much. It’s definitely a representation of the range of musical influences within the band. The vocal arrangement was written by our guitarist Sean, with some slight refining with Sophie, and so it’s definitely a defining song that represents the chapter of our coming together.
Musically, are you drawn to technical arrangements, or do you prefer giving vocals the primary attention?
With 4 instrumentalists and 1 vocalist, there’s definitely a focus on creating a full sound as a whole, whilst still allowing the vocals to shine through at particular points.
How does your writing process work usually? Is it a collaborative endeavour?
It’s 100% a collaborative effort. And we don’t have a definitive form or set way of doing things. Some songs, like SHL, were already formed before we had a vocalist. But Sophie also brought material she had written prior to the band, and we all then wrote the instrumental elements to this – a good example of this is Borderline which Sophie wrote years before. And vice versa, we had some instrumentals that Sophie then wrote lyrics and melodies on top of. More recently, we have found that we will conjure up something in the studio all together either as we’re setting up or in between songs, then develop from there; we think this is working well!
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
The lockdowns and pandemic were difficult for everyone in different ways, and since we formed fully as a group on the back of that whole period, it’s just been really refreshing to be part of a collective and create together. Doing our first live gig together was definitely a welcome challenge!
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
We have released 3 songs in the digital ether so far, with Second Hand Lover out last week, but we think we’re most excited about the new material we are working on, so looking forward to playing and sharing those down the line. We have a few more summer gigs coming up as well [The Finsbury (Gotobeat, 20/07/23), Folklore (22/07/23 with The Rebel), The Workshop (HOTVOX, 04/08/23) and Signature Brew Haggerston (10/08/23)]
