An album as fresh as mint.
Mint Mind’s newest release, VG+, is a showcase of average dissonant, dark indie-rock. The nine track album takes the listener through a journey of rock, with punk and indie influences. Even though the album is quite short, running at 31 minutes, it has definite moments of greatness and Mint Mind’s style really shows throughout.
Within this album, the vocals are never really sung. They are just melodically spoken lyrics, short phrases. Personally, the lack of melody makes the album feel more punk than rock. Apple Music states the genre of the album is “indie rock” but that just doesn’t feel quite right. A lot of Mint Mind’s music follows this style of vocals with added fuzziness that is present in a lot of punk music. Songs like “Tiny Fingers” and “Youth and I” both showcase the more punk elements that Mint Mind is capable of.
However, the album is not solely punk rock. The introduction song, “Contemporary Jaguars” is more dark and alternative. The intro is long and includes cymbals and heavy drums that create a heavy vibe. The verses are reminiscent of Gorillaz with the way the vocals are spoken, as stated previously.
Dissonance is also an important element within this album. The second track, “Excuse the Excuse” uses heavily dissonant vocals that feel beautifully wrong. Dissonance can be something that turns listeners away, but the way Mint Mind approaches this style is executed almost perfectly. The vocals are sung a bit more than spoken in this song and even though it is fairly repetitive, it is still one of the greatest songs on the album. It is simple, yet extremely effective.
Another important feature that is used in this album is guitar solos. “Gold Card Member” and “Glow” both feature guitar solos at the end of the song. The solo in “Gold Card Member” is chaotic and exciting. It keeps the listener on their toes, wanting more and more from this fuzzy guitar solo. “Glow” is a change of pace from the rest of the album, a much slower, calmer song but still uses elements of rock. The guitar solo near the end is calculated and warm, as much of this song is. This track also uses layered vocals to create a fuller effect which adds to the “warmness” of it. It is the only slower paced song on the album and stands out from the rest.
Another song that has its moment to shine is the sixth track, “No Vision.” Beginning with a creepy droning note alongside highly reverberated staccato notes, the introduction is long and the vocals do not come in until about halfway through the song. One problem with these vocals is that they are very quiet and almost buried beneath the instrumental aspect of this track. The words are simply hard to hear and understand. However, even with its minor issues this song still stands out. There are even bongos added during the crunchy guitar solo, making for a very interesting listening experience.
The final track of the album, “In the Sweet Land of Mint,” is dramatic with heavy drums and full chords. It makes sense as an ending song. It closes out the album strongly and showcases the array of genres the band can achieve all while staying within the realm of indie rock. Overall, the album has its hits and misses but is not a bad album by any means. If you are into punk indie rock then this album will be enjoyed. Mint Mind takes this opportunity within VG+ to morph genres and create an unparalleled, spacey and trippy style of punk.
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