Mirrorglass Talk Debut Album, Musical Influences And More

Popular Irish rock crew, Mirrorglass, are making new friends and amassing new fans allured by their adrenaline fueled anthemic sound that blends traditional hard rock elements with a modern twist. Their debut album ‘Handle With Care’ is released on Friday 12th September 2025 and we caught up with them here:

 

Who is in Mirrorglass, how did you meet and what do you play?

Paul Jackman is on drums, Vay is on keys and Jack Bogue is on bass performing alongside myself, Joshua Bowles on guitar and vocals. I’m also working with different people to expand the live setup and to give me some cover for certain roles in the band. I met Vay a number of years ago and I worked on and off with him before forming Mirrorglass. Jack Bogue was our sound engineer for “The Halloween Rock Show”, a show I did with the old lineup in 2023. That’s when I met him and I met Paul through Jack.

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

I remember certain albums that were being played when I was very young. ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’ by Alice In Chains came out when I was younger and I remember it being played regularly on CD in my house. I also remember being introduced to Guns N’ Roses when I was very young, maybe like 5. I got my first guitar when I was 5 too. A little Spanish guitar.

 

When did you begin songwriting?

Even before I knew how to play I was always coming up with tunes and lyrics by just humming them and singing them. I started writing properly with guitar and all in 2018 when I was 12 or 13, but it was pretty bad. It took a while to start getting the hang of it and I suppose it’s a lifelong process and evolution. It’s just a part of my life. I always need to be working on a song or some big idea.

 

You have your debut album ‘Handle With Care’ released on 12th September 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

Originally, the album came together over time. I decided I wanted to go to the studio and record something back in 2023. We went to Manor Park Studio and we came out with a version of ‘Hey Honey!’, which was released as the first single and a version of ‘Ghost Town’. After that, I wanted to go back and finish an album. I had a lot of songs and I just picked the ones I wanted and went and recorded them. We had 7 songs and an album that was around 27 minutes long. It was the bare minimum for an album, but it was what we could afford. When the album was cancelled, I used it as an opportunity to put the album together properly, with more of a vision as to what the whole body of work was. So in the end, the original recordings became the demo tape. After finishing ‘Handle With Care’, I realised more the importance of really good demos going into an album making process, and the importance of giving songs the time they need even if it feels finished.

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

The album was recorded in the makeshift studio I put together at home. After coming from a pro studio, it was quite a change to work in this sort of environment. I had to learn the ropes pretty quick. I made little recordings on my own before on a sofa with a Focusrite audio interface and Audacity with no plugins and I hadn’t really a clue how to make pro level recordings but I knew bits and pieces. Working with Neal Calderwood in Manor Park Studio really opened my eyes as to what recording was all about. I learnt a lot from just observing and then after that I put my observations into practice. My recording environment is not ideal but I try to use it to my advantage.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

It was a long process and since I mostly recorded it myself, I don’t have many of those classic studio stories a lot of bands have. Most of the advantage to working in a pro studio environment with a producer and a band is how fun it is. You can have a lot of fun on your own though if you’re fully immersed in the music. It’s just very different.

 

Paul recorded the drum parts on the album and when he’d mess up, he would get pretty mad at himself. Particularly during ‘Wasted Time’, he couldn’t quite get the full take and he was getting more mad every time we had to stop. But I was loving it because the angrier he got the louder the drums became. He started battering the shit out of them and the take that we got in the end was absolutely incredible because of that. If he played it right on the first take it wouldn’t have felt the same. It actually blew me away how well he channeled that rage into the performance.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

All my guitar tones came from my Boss Katana Artist and my red Epiphone Les Paul. I decided to try a dual mic technique on the amp. I had one close mic and one room mic. I had an SM58 on the cab and a Rode NT1 as the room mic, which was also my vocal mic. I’m not doing that anymore with my demos I’m working on at the moment but it was a fun experiment. I have a little attic room that worked really well for my iso booth.

 

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Heart Of Gold is probably the song written at my happiest point. It’s very creative and abstract and despite being a bit dark, it was more fun. Wasted Time is definitely the angriest song on the album while ‘Where Will You Go?’ and ‘Secretly Admitting To Murder’ are probably the most reflective songs. They all have something different to them though and it’s very hard to pinpoint the exact emotions of each song as there’s a lot going on under the hood.

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

The album overall, wasn’t difficult to write. It was written over the course of several years. It was more of a case of putting all of the songs into a cohesive unit. Most of the songs came together quickly. ‘Where Will You Go?’ was fully written from nothing in something like 20 minutes. Several songs were like that. Some songs took longer and in the case of ‘Secretly’, I was sitting on a bunch of ideas for about 7 months before I finally pieced it together, but even then, it took until the first recording of it to fully write the song and the instrumental section in particular, which brought that song to over a year in the works by the time I had a fully written version.

 

Who designed the album artwork?

I spent a long time putting together the album artwork, including the booklet inside the CD. It was more difficult than I expected. I got some good advice and help throughout the process. My mother in particular was a graphic designer so her input helped a lot with the technical side of it. We had many variations before we landed on the version that ended up being the final cover, but yeah it took several weeks to get it all right.

 

One of the tracks is the new single ‘Crazy Man’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

‘Crazy Man’ was actually written in 2023. It was inspired by how disillusioned the rich people who run the world are, with the world 99% of us live in. It’s actually sad that it’s become more relevant 2 years after I wrote it.

 

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The artwork was a great symbol for the song and I felt like that along with the lyrics stated the message loud and clear. I put it together, and I think it turned out pretty damn good. We’ve been working on another music video for the next single and I’m really liking it so far.

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

I don’t live in the town, but the main town that’s nearest to where I live is Cavan town. It’s small but lively, friendly, scenic and Irish!

 

How do you look after your voices?

For shows, I usually have honey with me all the time. I remember one time I chugged it on stage during ‘Hey Honey!’. I thought that was funny at the time. I also drink a huge amount of water when I’m singing. Other than that, I’ve never been great at warming up. I usually just warm up with an easy song or something. It really depends on my mood. I used to be sick at a lot of my gigs anyway so at that point I usually just say fuck it and bust my vocal cords! I wouldn’t advise it though.

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

We’ve not got anything planned past our September show at this point but I’m very keen on getting out on the road again at some point soon and hopefully go further afield into the UK and Europe. I’m always open to bringing the band out but as I’ve said before it all depends on how viable it is financially. If it was easy we’d be out every week but unfortunately it isn’t. I’m extremely excited for our show in September with The Savage Hearts. It’s been a long time since Mirrorglass have played live and we’re all very excited for it. I’ve got a killer show put together and anyone nearby really should take the time to come down to see it. As I said, hopefully we can bring this show out on the road sometime soon.

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

It’s hard to think that far ahead, but I hope I’ll have headlined at Slane Castle because that would be full circle for me. My first concert, Metallica at Slane was a lightbulb moment for me and I think since that day, that goal of playing there someday was driving me in the back of my mind. I also hope we’ll have played arenas all across the globe at that point too and brought arena rock well into the 21st century.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

The most important part of my live rig is my wireless guitar system, because I love to move around and I hate the restrictions of cables. If you come to a Mirrorglass show, no matter the situation, I can guarantee you, I will find a way to leave the stage and jam out a guitar solo in the crowd, because it’s the most fun thing ever! I also love playing my Les Paul. I don’t know if I’d ever really go for any other type of guitar. It’s perfect for me. Les Paul’s get a lot of hate from guitarists out in the wild who love their perfect guitars that work absolutely 100% and they can shred perfectly on it, but I think they just haven’t learnt that the fight between the player and the instrument is what makes it that extra bit special. You need an instrument that fights back!

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

This is actually a very fun question. I’d love to write a score for a Stephen King novel. There’s so many adaptations of Stephen King out there and it would be hard to pick one novel. The tension in his books would make it the most fun experience ever. I think similarly, ‘1984’ would be a great one.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Guns N’ Roses have always been a huge influence on me. Ghost as well are one of my favourite bands. As a writer, everything you listen to influences you no matter what. Especially when you’re also mixing and mastering. The sound of everything itches itself into your brain and gives you reference points constantly.

 

What makes Mirrorglass happy and what makes you unhappy?

Mirrorglass is happy when we’re making music and we’re playing live and getting the same excitement from the crowd that we have. What makes me unhappy is how underappreciated music is. There is no value in music itself anymore and it’s sad. All I can really say is when there are gigs from newer artists in small venues, go to them and support the artist.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By San PR

Mirrorglass’s debut album ‘Handle With Care’ is released on Friday 12th September 2025. 

Official Website: https://mirrorglassofficial.com/

Official LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/mirrorglassofficial