Chicago band Miirrors have cultivated an aura of mystery. Photos of them are hard to come by, and they’ve been reticent even about confirming their personnel. Still, some info has percolated out since they began releasing singles a couple years ago, and we now know the band’s core is multi-instrumentalist Brian McSweeney and drummer Shawn Rios. And while they’re a little shy of the spotlight, they don’t make much of a secret of their influences. McSweeney’s soaring tenor vocals and the band’s high-gloss atmospheric production vibrate intensely between the landscapes defined by Radiohead and Automatic for the People-era R.E.M. The best-known Mirrors release so far is a 2019 cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Gunshot Glitter,” with drummer Matt Johnson (who recorded and toured with Buckley) providing the engine for an oceanic blast of schmaltz rock that manages to out-emote the notoriously expressive singer-songwriter’s original version. “Sinistry,” released in February 2020, has a more driving beat and some gritty guitar squall, while retaining an anthemic sound big enough to level stadiums. A live version of the song on last spring’s quarantine charity compilation Situation Chicago 2 (Quiet Pterodactyl) indicates that the band are more than up to reproducing its polish onstage. You can never predict the whims of a fickle public, but as Miirrors work on their first full-length album, they certainly seem to have all the elements in place to be the next big thing.
Miirrors, Moritat, DJ Quin Kirchner Thu 11/11, 9:30 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $12, 21+