Review by Annie Keller.
How lucky are we that Los Angeles’s Mind’s Eye decided to start heir first headliner tour in Chicago! If you haven’t seen them on your For You Page yet, Mind’s Eye is a band drenched in irony; vocalist Vince Lopez carries an aloof stage persona that’s very inline with their band’s viral TikTok account where they poke lots of fun at some of the larger-than-life egos in their own indie scene. Draped over their emotional lovelorn lyrics is a detached and prideful series of bits. Behind the heavy vibe of craving connection in their romantic songs, there’s an “indie guy” who is not ready to fully commit to you yet. All of that personality was in full force at Schubas.
Opening for the night was alternative darkwave project Flowerbabe - a perfect Chicago welcome inline with the hypnotic 80’s synth-inspired vision of Mind’s Eye. Flowerbabe brought forward a profound and honest sensitivity with spookysounding songs like “the boogeyman” and “GLOW.” Listening to Flowerbabe is best accomplished while strolling through a graveyard or watching your favorite 80’s VHS tapes.
Later on in the night, Mind’s Eye crashed forth with “Bite the Bullet,” a surprising opening song from their pandemic-era sophomore album Favorite Love Machine. Even as a young band, Mind’s Eye has a deep evolution from their amateur bedroom pop sound in their debut album, Separate Lines, to their seminal 2023 true indie rock breakthrough album Long Nights and Wasted Affairs (where they pull most of their set from); the primary subject remains a through-line: angst, flirtation, and sensitivity. Fans of The Cure and Beach Fossils will find a new yet familiar home in Mind’s Eye.
Throughout the show, Lopez interviewed audience members between their songs: “Who’s in a couple here right now?” he implored as they transitioned into “tunnel of love,” or “Who’s breaking up right now? Why did you break up?” to jump into their new unreleased song about a toxic relationship (good news, Mind’s Eye fans, their new songs go hard and taste just as good as everything on Long Nights and Wasted Affairs). Oftentimes, Lopez ends one of their heavy-hitting weighty songs with a deadpan “Yeah, whatever I guess.” When attending a Mind’s Eye show, one’s got to be ready to converse with the band and joke along with the scene.
To Mind’s Eye’s credit, this band knows their audience very well. Each song (and even those conversational intervals between songs) was met with a roar of excitement and waves of fans vying for Lopez’s microphone to share their sun sign, or a story of their shitty ex-boyfriend. Their tongue-in-cheek sense of humor is a delightful juxtaposition between songs like “don’t tell me,” (one that I note has a heartbreaking and fluttery guitar riff that I just adore) and “Handful of Nothing,” another TikTok-viral song known for being somber and deep. Bassist Kelli Kumiko stole the spotlight on several occasions, but especially during “Handful of Nothing.” Their basslines and backup vocals were passionate and heartfelt, and guided the audience well into jumping and moshing.
The band ended the night playing their big hit, “wasted affairs,” which transitioned wonderfully into the final song, one of their newer singles: “MODERN FEAR.” I left the show deeply excited about the future of this band. Much of what Mind’s Eye delivers is exactly what I crave as an audience member: connection, understanding, and good storytelling. While they bake their craft under deep layers of irony, rest assured there is a tender heart that beats beneath it that is very worth excavating. My time with Mind’s Eye on their first headline tour was both memorable and healing, and I look forward to their return to Chicago.
Check out Mind’s Eye’s latest single, "WISHING FOR ME", today (you can also check out their TikTok account for their viral “indie guy” bits).