From Cathedrals to Coffins: Chris Higdon on Elliott, Mirrorless, and Reconnecting Through Sound

From Cathedrals to Coffins: Chris Higdon on Elliott, Mirrorless, and Reconnecting Through Sound

Chris Higdon has never been one to chase the spotlight—but when he steps into it, the resonance is undeniable. As the voice behind Elliott’s emotionally charged post-hardcore legacy, Higdon helped shape a sound that still echoes through underground scenes 25 years after False Cathedrals first dropped. Now, with the return of Elliott to intimate stages and the rise of his new project Mirrorless, Higdon is reconnecting with fans, collaborators, and the raw urgency that first pulled him into music.

In this conversation, Chris reflects on Elliott’s bookended appearances at Furnace Fest, the lyrical weight of Mirrorless tracks like “Golden Treason” and “Ultraviolent,” and the possibility of new Elliott material on the horizon. With Mirrorless, he’s found a fresh outlet for faster, more aggressive songwriting. Their self-titled debut EP arrives October 17 via Equal Vision Records, marking a new chapter in Higdon’s creative journey.

We caught up with Chris to talk about legacy, Louisville, lyrical honesty, and the strange comfort of returning to the scene that built him.

We’re here with Chris from Mirrorless, and we’re going to ask him a few questions. First off, Chris, how did you wind up in Mirrorless—and did it have anything to do with the return of Elliott?
Maybe in a roundabout way. I remember after Elliott came back a couple years ago and did some shows, I went to another gig and ran into Ryan Patterson and Brian Roundtree—everyone calls him Tree. A little while later, they reached out and said, “Hey, we’ve been working on this project and wanted to see if you’d be interested.”

We talked a lot about what they were into and what they were doing. They said it was kind of a skate rock thing, and I was like, “Cool—like Circle Jerks?” And they said, “No, more like Descendents or something.” But honestly, that’s not what we sound like at all.

I think anytime I crash a party, it ends up becoming whatever it becomes. That’s kind of how Mirrorless started for me.

“Ultraviolent” is such a powerful title. What inspired the name and the song?
I was playing with words. I’m sure it doesn’t work out scientifically, but I was thinking somewhere between “ultraviolet”—you know, the rays—and something more metaphorical.

The song is really about our addiction to some of the most dangerous things we’ve brought into our lives—phones, digital lives, social media. We’re all living in these tiny bubbles. I find myself constantly trying not to get caught up in rage bait or echo chambers, where you see something and go, “Yeah, that’s what I think too,” and it just reinforces your own perspective.

But it’s not reality. When you deal with someone face-to-face, it’s totally different. “Ultraviolent” is about that addiction, and I’m not much better—I’m just as caught up in it. It’s always on my mind.

Tell me about “Golden Treason” and the inspiration behind that one.
That one’s pretty on the nose. It’s about feeling buried alive by the political climate—if you can even call it political anymore. I don’t recognize it.

I was just talking to Jay from Elliott—he literally rolled in this morning at 4 AM—and we were unloading Elliott records from the van to put them in decent storage until we head back out. We were talking about the state of things.

Back in the early 2000s, I felt like no one needed another screaming white guy pissed off about social issues—especially ones I could walk away from at any moment. Other voices were needed. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing, so I stepped back and listened.

But now, I feel like that silence left a gap—and the only voices some people will listen to are screaming white guys. But now those guys are racist, homophobic, sexist. So with Mirrorless, I didn’t really have a choice. If I was going to write songs, they had to be about this.

“Golden Treason” uses the imagery of being buried alive by our own capitalist, commercial world. But it’s not even that anymore—it’s just a game someone’s playing. The song is about trying to come together again, to climb out of the coffin we’ve built and reconnect.

Let’s hope the world can come together again. We live in strange times.
We do. But I really believe that if you talk to people—even those you disagree with—and find the human nature in each person, you’ll usually find common ground. There are exceptions, sure, but I’m not going to be one of them.

Do you currently live in Louisville?
Yeah, I’ve always been here. A lot of the Elliott guys have moved on, but the Mirrorless crew is all local. It makes for a fun time. Louisville’s still going strong.

How’s the music scene out there?
It’s thriving. We’ve got Knocked Loose—probably one of the biggest hardcore bands in the world right now.

There are so many great bands. I think Deafheaven is from here too. Ryan’s involved with a bunch—Black God, Young Widows, Coliseum, Fotocrime. He’s got a corner on the Louisville scene.

Aon Brasi, Shitfire, Gates to Hell—there’s just a ton happening. I’m probably forgetting a bunch, but it’s a vibrant scene.

Let’s talk Elliott. “Photorecording” is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. What do you think of it now in retrospect?
That record was really about documenting where the band was at the end of its creation. We had played with and reworked a lot of material, and we just wanted to capture that era.

A couple years ago, we started playing the “False Cathedrals” stuff again, and we’re doing a lot of that on this run too—it’s what people want. It’s the first time those songs have been played the way they were actually written and recorded.

Looking back, it’s a snapshot of what we did then. Now it’s cool to revisit those songs and give them the full treatment.

And guess which album is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year? “False Cathedrals.”
Yeah, we’re not exactly prolific. It takes us a long time to write records—and we haven’t written anything in years. Personally, I take forever to do anything. It doesn’t pour out of me. I have to yank it out.

Let’s talk briefly about “False Cathedrals.” It’s been 25 years, and it’s still so revered by fans. What does it mean to you?
It means everything. Being asked to play festivals is what allows us to pull this off.  Last time, Alexisonfire invited us out, and Dallas and the whole crew were amazing. This time, we wanted to get back into clubs—smaller venues, more intimate settings.

Sure, if the demand was there, we’d play the theaters. But I love seeing music in small clubs. If I had the choice, I’d pay three times as much to see my favorite bands in a tiny venue than in an arena. That’s not how most people feel, but it’s how I feel.

I totally agree. Seeing big bands in small clubs is such a unique experience.
Right? It’s where we all came from. None of us started out as My Chemical Romance. They didn’t start out as My Chemical Romance—they were just a band playing basement shows. These bands that came up after we stopped playing—they’re at that level now, and good for them. They deserve it. That kind of success doesn’t just happen.

Furnace Fest kind of bookends the history of Elliott in a way. In August 2002, you played there right before disbanding. Then, 20 years later, you returned and played False Cathedrals in full. Tell me a little about those two performances.
Yeah, yeah. I remember the first time—and I think we played it a couple of times in its earlier iterations before the reunion. It was always a really cool venue, a great festival. I remember that last one we played—Andrew W.K. was on the bill, and he was amazing. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen him live…

I saw him at that show. I was there. I saw you guys too.
That’s great! So, you remember how awesome he was. I mean, he came out and just hung out at his table all day long, which was amazing.

That show really marked the end of an era for us. Things were changing in the music landscape at the time. But for me, playing in that big barn-type setup with the furnace behind you—that’s one of the memories that sticks out the most. It was visceral. You could really feel it.

I’ve told this story before—Kevin had heat sickness, and everyone had been partying. There was some wild stuff going on, but it was definitely memorable.

Revisiting Furnace Fest 20 years later was special. Chad and all those guys deserve a huge amount of respect for what they do and how they do it. They brought us back. They made sure we were well taken care of, and that helped us get things going again. I owe them a lot of thanks.

The reunion show was fun—getting to see everyone, being on the same bill as Sunny Day Real Estate was amazing. Just reconnecting with the scene we came from and feeling embraced again… it felt great.

Are there any new Elliott songs on the horizon? Would you like to do new stuff with the band?
You know, I’ll never say never. Getting things back together for this tour has been a lot of work. We’re kind of bi-coastal now, so each of us has been working on our own. But I wouldn’t rule it out.

Jay and I have had a great time reconnecting. It feels good playing together again. It feels good at this stage in our lives. I think we’re in a pretty solid place. So yeah, in my opinion, I’d love to do new stuff—but we haven’t started anything yet.

Like you say—never say never.
Exactly. It’s not something I’d be against in any way. And if it’s with anyone, it’d be with these guys. I’m open to it. I don’t want to put any false hopes or labels on it, but yeah—it sounds good to me.

Do you have any messages for Elliott fans who are reading this right now? And you can bring Mirrorball into this too.
Sure, sure. We’re excited to reconnect—with the people, with the songs, and with each other. That’s why we’re doing this. Hopefully, the folks who’ve always cared will be there. And if there are younger or newer kids into what we’re doing, that’s awesome too.

I just want to say thank you—for even stopping your day to come out for one show. If people can come check it out, that’s great.

With the Mirrorless stuff, it’s a new form of expression for me. It’s kind of full circle—not saying we’re a hardcore band, but we’re definitely faster, more aggressive. That sparks a different lyrical field for me to explore and be inspired by.

So check it out. Come see Elliott. And there’s also a Mirrorless tour in the works. We’re opening for Shiner, if you’re familiar with them. Amazing band. If you haven’t checked them out, Shiner is incredible.

That’s what’s next for me after this Elliott tour. But right now, Elliott is taking the lion’s share of my attention. This is what’s happening.

Thank you so much. And you know what? I noticed I called you Mirrorball once. I knew I was going to do that. I’m sorry.
Hey, I’m fine with it. You know, Mirrorball—fun fact: the majority of all mirror balls used to be made in Louisville. Did you know that?

I didn’t!
Yeah. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but for the longest time, Louisville was the home of disco balls….

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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