#trans bands

For proper backstory, it’s important to know that The Projectionist tells of a female vampire who works as a projectionist in a movie theater. When she sees, or interacts with misogynistic men, she attacks and drinks their blood. It may just feel like another horror tale, but it holds much more meaning and significance for Mira, as she said in an interview with Punktastic, “I experience harassment, threats, violence and dehumanizing mockery on a daily basis. These experiences make me feel afraid, angry, helpless. When I write, I create a world where the queers have all the power, because we’re all vampires. It helps me psychologically to be able to escape into this world, and I hope it will help other people when they listen.”

Glitter and Blood continues within this concept and tale, introducing with the line, “Now, let me tell you a story,” on their first track “Desmond (Birth),” which also contains lyrics like, “I am not like you,” which are sung dramatically and given emphasis in the song, giving to the listener a distinct feeling of the queer tale Mira has mentioned expressing through Sweeping Exit’s music. They introduce themselves in this track as having the same slower and darker manner that filled most of their first EP, but that quickly changes when it picks up in the second song, “Teachers.” A song that gives strong Rocky Horror Picture Show vibes – as does most of their music.

The third track, “I Only Dream in Black & White,” starts to bring in the hints of horror and vampires, followed by a slower but still horror based track, “Lady Death,” which takes a turn from just the glam punk style, to a haunting sound of violins. “Miami Beach,” their first single released from the album, brings to mind a feeling of 80’s music you’d hear off a movie soundtrack, but still keeps within the ambiance of the rest of their music.

The eighth track, “Bigotry & Barbeque,” truly represents the storyline of a vampire murdering misogynistic men, with lines like “They were saying hateful things, they wanted me to hear them. They wanted me to be afraid, but I was not afraid, I could never be their victim. They didn’t see my fangs, it was them who should be afraid.” And it continues on to follow the story of the undead woman devouring them in graphic detail. Through this song, Mira has truly emphasized her goal with this album of “[reflecting my] queer experience as well as my personal ambitions,” while also “[allowing] the listener to disappear into a vampiric fantasy world.” (Upset Magazine).

Starting at the ninth track, “Vampire In Love,” the album takes a firm turn for royalty, mentioning “I see you’re out on a killing spree at the estate of the queen.” It’s emphasized in the following track, “The Palace,” (check out the music video here!) where vampires have seemed to converge to feed off the humans begging to get in from outside. In a melodic melancholy tune, the eleventh track, “When We Die In The Dark Light,” stays within the castle walls, but focuses on the feeling of hopelessness and sorrow, even when the music picks up a little. Its play with keyboard and violins makes the track interesting musically, and it’s a song that truly draws the listener in. As is consistent for the album, the next track, “The Queen’s Ball,” picks up into a brighter style, a song truly meant to play at a ball when the guests feel energetic and ready to dance ‘til they bleed.

“I Can’t Leave You Here,” builds itself up with an audio clip from the film Black Sunday, quoting the witches death scene. The song tells of death and feelings for the person who is at their end, making the audio clip gain more emphasis in its importance to the song. The fourteenth track, “How Does It Feel?” brings in an older punk rock feel, spreading the variety of musical styles even further for Sweeping Exits on their debut album, all while keeping within the boundaries necessary to make an album cohesive. In “I Am The Queen,” listeners are brought back to the vampire royalty, where the narrator becomes the Queen and tells of their new reign, as well as their sadness at the loss of Lady Death. This track ends with them saying they’ll be taking over the human world, no longer dooming the vampire world to live in the shadows.

Yet the final track, “Ghost (New Mourning),” is mournful in both lyrics and the instrumental, and brings back the melodic feel of “When We Die In The Dark Light.” It lets the story and album fade out in a way that will likely impact any listener who goes through the album piece by piece. A true tale of horror, it’s overall a true “vampiric fantasy,” but is so much more, too. The songs throughout this 16-track album all stay true to Mira’s intention of showing the struggles of being trans - of being queer - in our current society. Music is truly a powerful way to make a point against bigotry; its ability to express through even just the tune of a song can leave listeners with a better understanding of the hardships queer people face, and the emotions it leaves them with.