Vampires seem to represent humanityâs fear of what lurks in the shadowsâfanged and bloodthirsty, they gaze out from the darkness, searching for prey. For Portland musician Mira Glitterhound, vampires possess the power she craves in her disempowering experiences as a trans woman. With her band Sweeping Exits, Glitterhound positions the creatures as agents of revenge in cinematic glam-punk narratives that turn othersâ hate into sustenance.
Though sheâs played under the Sweeping Exits moniker for about 10 years, Glitterhound introduced this concept with their 2016 EP The Projectionist. In velvety compositions that pull from baroque pop, doo-wop, and rock operas, she told the story of a projectionist who devours predatory men in her movie theaterâs audience until theyâre reduced to bones.
The EP served as a prequel to Sweeping Exitsâ full-length debut, Glitter & Blood. Joined by Myrrh Crow (vocals, keys), Shanley Narens (strings), Nia Fae Loy (bass), and Logan White (drums), Glitterhound (vocals/guitars/arrangements) imagines the demise of the human race, which is choreographed by the omnipotent vampire queen, Desmond.
Her apocalyptic domination unfolds across 16 songs, against gothic organ, wailing electric guitar riffs, the emotional swells of strings, and the Roy Orbison-inspired croons and demonic yelps of Glitterhound, who acts as the listenerâs tour guide through this strange world.
Glitter & Blood is labyrinthine, and sometimes difficult to navigateâitâs easy to get lost in the expansive narrativeâbut the ideas driving these lyrics feel very real. For instance, on standout track âBigotry and Barbecue,â Glitterhound recounts an experience of having men yell hateful slurs at her. But this time, sheâs Desmond the vampire: âWhoâs the victim now?â she asks. âSurely not me/You taste so good/You taste like hate marinated in a lack of education.â
âHow Does It Feel?â digests the venom of prejudice similarly. Itâs a two-minute punk explosion, and the rawest moment of Glitter & Blood. At the height of the vampiric takeover, Glitterhound viciously growls, âNow itâs our turn, look what weâve done/Now itâs our turn, nowhere to run/How does it feel?â
Sweeping Exitsâ debut is an exceptionally brilliant concept album. Throughout the complex plot of Glitter & Blood, the vampiresâthe queer charactersâare the heroes, not the victims.