INTERVIEWSHear Mirror Universe's 19-Band, Two-Cassette 'Whatever It Is You're Doing Now'

Label showcases music from South Carolina and beyond

Charleston, South Carolina-based cassette label Mirror Universe Tapes has been ahead of the game with releases by Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, Active Child, Yuck, the War on Drugs, and more. "It's basically a lemonade stand," co-founder Ben Ellenburg told me of his label three years ago, and that hand-crafted sensibility still remains. In mid-March, Mirror Universe will start shipping pre-order copies of Whatever It Is You're Doing Now, a limited-edition compilation containing 100 minutes — and two cassettes — of mostly unreleased music by 19 bands from their backyard and beyond. Previously unheard material by Lust for Youth, Xander Harris, Headaches, and Slasher Film Festival Strategy shares time with already-previewed tracks by Southern Femisphere, Boring Portals, M. Sage, and more. The sound ranges from garage-rock to ambient drones, with plenty of worthwhile stops in between.

Whatever It Is You're Doing Now track list:

Side A
1. Headsets - "My Brother and the Ghost of Ho Chi Minh" (Brooklyn, NY)
2. Southern Femisphere - "Transgander (When the Community Went Looking for the Lost Gayzling in the Wood)" (Charleston, SC)
3. Hip Young Gunslingers - "Red Red Sea" (Charleston, SC)
4. Lady Condor - "Warrior Sisters" (Charleston, SC)
5. Mr. Jenkins - "Late Shift At Peripheral Zoo (You, too?)" (South Carolina)

Side B
1. Noveller - "This Is Our Ascent" (Brooklyn, NY)
2. M. Sage - "Rain Scanner" (Fort Collins, CO)
3. Meadowlands - "Dreams of Jaipur जयपुर के सपने" (Brooklyn, NY)
4. Headaches - "Constant Concern" (Brooklyn, NY by way of Toronto, CA)

Side C
1. The Slasher Film Festival Strategy - "Cosmic Burial" (South Carolina)
2. Lust For Youth - "Spring" (Sweden)
3. Pariah Carey - "Smile From The Grave 4U" (Austin, TX)
4. Xander Harris - "Blessing for the Sick" (Austin, TX)
5. Tapeworms - "America Endless?" (Brooklyn, NY via Charleston, SC)

Side D
1. HEADCASE - "Good Stride" (Chapel Hill, NC)
2. Boring Portals - "No Go" (Charleston, SC)
3. Lame Drivers - "Universe Osmosis" (Brooklyn, NY)
4. SuR - "Marfa Lights" (Austin, TX via Charleston, SC)
5. Foot Village - "Clubtraxxx I-III" (LA, CA)