Sweet, sweet UK pop punk: how we love you so. Once a genre dominated by the Americans, UK bands are proving they’re worth their salt all over the place right now; just look at Trash Boat or Neck Deep. These Minds, from the not so sunny city of Leeds, are cut from the same cloth. Rather than tread the same polished path, however, their latest EP ‘Pour Out’ is a raucous, messy affair with the charm and rough edges of your best mate’s band.
Desperate vocals contrast with clean guitars on ‘Emley Moor Mast’, a burst of energy that comes to a sharp, abrupt end, allowing ‘Ruin’ to take over with its unstoppable drums and strained screams. Although beginning with a tuneful introduction, from the outset, ‘In My Way’ allows Adam Rank to take charge of the song and dominate throughout. There’s no softer moments – just energy; true again with ‘Shaping’. Concluding proceedings, ‘Pour Out’ doesn’t differ, only pausing for a moment to allow the line “I’m trapped inside my head” to stand out.
Missing the melodic moments of their previous release ‘Figure Out’ and swapping a more balanced sound for an unapologetically noisy release, These Minds have no intention of fitting in with the crowd. Instead, they focus on a sound built on the foundations of pop punk, riotous and rebellious.
KATHRYN BLACK