Hit play on “Lavender Town,” the dark and swooning new single from Mirror Move, and submit yourself to its stormy din. Allow yourself to be pulled precariously through its churning undertow. Channeling in oceanic shoegaze is certainly nothing new for the band; their 2021 self-titled debut was a study in textured guitars and inky blue backdrops. But here, nearly five years later, they pile on more of everything (at least in the abstract): more alluring, more immersive, more somber, more impenetrable. What emerges is a woozy, windswept song that feels soaring and radiant while evoking a sense of pensive gloom. To understand that aura of anguish, however, is to revisit a devastating past.

Originally a trio consisting of multi-instrumentalist Andrew Ross, drummer Allen McCleese (Fox Wound, Sleep Weather), and bassist Harrison Barr, Mirror Move evolved into the duo of Ross and McCleese in 2022. While preparing for their sophomore EP, the pair recorded a few demos with their friend James Vincent (MUELAS, Psychic Death). The plan was to work on the demos and then record the EP with Damon Moon, who engineered the group’s debut. Tragically, just a few weeks after the sessions, McCleese was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. In November of 2023, he passed away at the age of 35.

Shaken by the loss, Ross wrestled with his grief and how to move forward. For a time, he lost his joy for making music and stopped practicing altogether. Eventually, though, he found his way back to the demos and was startled by how differently they now resonated. Although most of the lyrics had been written before McCleese had passed, their context and meaning had shifted like sand cycling through a rip current. This was especially true of “Lavender Town,” one of the last songs the duo had written together.

“The original meaning behind ‘Lavender Town’ was the feeling of being underwater, stuck in a loop,” Ross says. “While that still holds true, it has also become about letting myself feel everything and not trying to numb it out. It also became about how I saw his passing affecting other people. The original title was just ‘Lavender.’ It changed to ‘Lavender Town’ as a Pokémon reference to the town of ghost Pokémon. So in away it deals with the feeling of being haunted by something. We were both big Pokémon fans which is also where the name Mirror Move came from.”

Determined to honor McCleese’s memory, Ross made good on the plans to record the EP with Moon. Using the drum tracks from the demo sessions, the two further fleshed out the songs, widening their scope while sharpening the music’s already frayed edges. “Lavender Town” has all the hallmarks of a Mirror Move track: vocals half-buried in a dreamy haze of rapturous noise and reverberating drums. But there’s something about the song—something disorienting and sadly beautiful—that makes it sound unlike anything the band’s released before.

“Working on these songs has been one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do, as well as rewarding,” Ross reveals. “They explore grief, life, healing, and everything in-between. I’m excited to share them.”

Listen below.

“Lavender Town” is the first single from Mirror Move’s forthcoming sophomore EP. Consisting of four tracks, the record will be called Citrus, a nickname given to McCleese by a childhood friend. Ross hopes to release the EP on August 8 in tribute to McCleese’s birthday, but no definitive plans have been made. For Ross, it’s been a nebulous couple of years, but he remains committed to focusing on the legacy his longtime friend and bandmate left behind.

“I’m honestly not sure about the future of Mirror Move,” he confesses. “We had other songs we were working on so I really want to revisit those and see where it goes from there. He was just a better drummer than me so I’ll try to do his parts justice. For now it will just be me, a sampler, and a guitar. Maybe down the road it could be a full band again, but for now I just need put these songs out there and share his story.”

Mirror Move will perform on Fri., June 12 at the EARL in support of Hott Mt and Vinyl Williams. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 in advance or $17 DOS. 21+ to enter.

More Info
Bandcamp: mirrormove.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @MirrorMoveMusic
Instagram: @mirror.move