Monomyth's long awaited sophomore album, Happy Pop Family, is finally out and us Minties are the happiest pop family you can imagine! Every song on their new album is a delicious slice of Power Pop pie and we’re lining up for seconds. Order your LP or cassette today!

 

Jay Arner has been busy since releasing his sophomore LP Jay II on Mint in June. Only a month and a half after returning from a Cross Canadian tour with label mates Supermoon, Jay has announced another string of dates through the USA and Eastern Canada.

To whet your appetites as to what you can expect from a Jay Arner tour the band has made a completely bizarre infomercial starring Vancouver comedian Graham Clark.

 

 

Sept 30 - Seattle WA - Hollow Earth Radio
Oct 1 - Portland OR - Crush House
Oct 2 - Boise ID - Wastelander Studios
Oct 3 - Provo UT - Muse Music Cafe
Oct 4 - Denver CO - Club Scum
Oct 5 - Omaha NE - Reverb
Oct 6 - Minneapolis MN - Green Greens
Oct 7 - Chicago IL - Club Soda
Oct 10 - Allentown PA - Good Weeknd
Oct 11 - Philadelphia PA - Leninundergrad
Oct 12 - Brooklyn NY - Shea Stadium
Oct 13 - Manhattan NY - Cake Shop
Oct 14 - Burlington VT - TBA
Oct 15 - Plattsburgh NY - ROTA Gallery
Oct 16 - Montreal QC - Brasserie Beaubien
Oct 18 - Saint John NB - Callahan's Pub
Oct 19 - Fredericton NB - The Capital Bar
Oct 21 - Halifax NS - Art Bar +Projects (Halifax Pop Explosion)
Oct 22 - Halifax NS - Taz Records
Oct 23 - Sackville NB - Thunder and Lightning
Oct 25 - Boston MA - TBA
Oct 26 - Washington DC - Maybelle's
Oct 27 - Raleigh NC - Slim's
Oct 28 - Savannah GA - El-Rocko Lounge
Oct 29 - Atlanta GA - Mammal Gallery
Oct 31 - Nashville TN - Fond Object

Nov 2 - Pensacola FL - Sluggo's
Nov 3 - New Orleans LA - TBA
Nov 4 - Dallas TX - Crown and Harp
Nov 5 - Austin TX - Hotel Vegas
Nov 6 - Albuquerque NM - Gold House
Nov 7 - Tucson AZ - The Rat Trap
Nov 8 - Phoenix AZ - Rogue Bar
Nov 9 - Palm Springs CA - Ace Hotel
Nov 10 - Pomona CA - Acerogami
Nov 11 - Oakland CA - The Night Light
Nov 12 - Davis CA - The Starrship
Nov 13 - Eugene OR - The Campbell Club
Nov 14 - Portland OR - Church Bar
Nov 16 - Seattle WA - TBA
Nov 17 - Bellingham WA - Alternative Library
Nov 18 - Victoria BC - Logan's Pub
Nov 19 - Nanaimo BC - The Vault
Nov 25 - Vancouver BC - The Biltmore

Toronto scuzz punks Tough Age are on their way to Japan to promote the release of I Get The Feeling Central on Japanese indie imprint Moorworks. The Japanese pressing of the album, originally released on Mint Records in 2015, features two bonus tracks including a single version of “Castigation” which was produced by Vancouver based indie popsmith Jay Arner.

To celebrate the tour and Japanese re-issue Tough Age has released a video by Slam Dunk guitarist Jordan Minkoff for “Castigation.” Jordan Minkoff is known for his videos for Built To Spill and his mockumentary “Playing With Fire” about Slam Dunk’s fictional tour with Arcade Fire. The video premiered on Exclaim!

Tough Age will be playing four dates in the Tokyo area. The final night of tour will be the official release show for I Get The Feeling Central hosted by Moorworks.

10/08 Chuo, Tokyo  – Nanahari (Solo)

10/12 Nishi-Ogukubo, Tokyo – Pit Bar

10/15 Koenji, Tokyo – Sound Studio Dom

10/18 Setagaya, Tokyo – Fever

 

Halifax jangle pop heroes Monomyth have just announced their new album for Mint Records with a single premiere on Stereogum! “Puppet Creek” is the first single from Happy Pop Family which comes out November 4th, 2016. The song is rambling power pop left to warp in the sun; an enticing glimpse into the growth of the band since 2014’s Saturnalia Regalia!, their debut LP on Mint Records.

Catch Monomyth on their home turf at The Marquee during Halifax Pop Explosion, October 21st!

We're sooo happy to welcome moody Vancouver pop outfit Supermoon to the Mint family! If you've been to any of our Ridiculously Early Xmas Parties over the past couple years, this should come as no surprise, since we've been huge fans for a while now!

We're super excited to announce that on May 20, the group’s latest excursion, Playland, will be arriving as a 2x7" via Mint. The album bubbles with intelligent, weirdo songs that combine sunny riffs and distorted ring outs. Coated in sugary vocals with driving bass, spectral guitars, and marching drums, the songs of Supermoon seem to wink at something lurking beneath the surface.

Rising from the ashes of two former Vancouver bands, the garage rock outfit Movieland and jangle pop 3-piece Pups, Supermoon borrows aspects from both groups to create catchy, challenging songs. Multi-instrumentalists Adrienne LaBelle and Alie Lynch take turns creating rich, dark bass and bright, sneering lead lines. Katie Gravestock, known as Groovestock to her bandmates, lives up to the name by providing an endless supply of smooth, melodic riffs. Selina Crammond acts as the backbone to the group with her playful drumbeats, reminiscent of the Flying Nun catalogue. Each of the members trade off on vocalist and songwriting duties, making the album at once eclectic and cohesive.

You can hear the first single, "Bottleships" over at Impose now! 2x7" and digital versions will be available May 20, but you can pre-order it here now!

Hello! We’ve been holding back our excitement, but now we finally get to announce the latest addition to the Mint catalogue: Jay II.

Jay II is music for outsiders who might not want to be insiders. Sophisticated synth-pop for sensitive types or existential glam-rock for the unsettled. These songs are the soundtrack to fitting in, finding your place in the world of suffering, and finally coming to terms with yourself.

Like the first album, Arner played most instruments alongside Jessica Delisle, his partner in Energy Slime. Tone zoned guitars, sci-fi synths, and muscular drum fills buff up the understated arrangements like a six-pack revealed under a sweater vest. Recorded and mixed in the span of a month with minimal fuss, these nine songs sound both airtight and breezy.

Don’t sleep on the vinyl either because every record collection needs that album art in its full 12" glory. LP, CD, and digital versions will be available June 17, but you can pre-order it here now!

 

 

Tough Age are heading on tour in Canada and the USA next month!

After a trip to Japan and a long winter slumber, the bubblegum punk outfit are back on the road. Plus they've just shared a video for New Orleans Square via CMJ!

4/8 Portland, OR - The Know
4/9 Davis, CA - Third Space
4/10 Los Angeles, CA - All Star Lanes
4/11 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
4/13 Tucson, AZ - TBA
4/14 El Paso, TX - Boomtown Tavern
4/15 Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas Barricuda
4/16 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar
4/18 Washington, DC - TBA *
4/19 Allentown, PA - Consolidated Cardboard
4/20 New York, NY - Cake Shop
4/21 Montreal, QC - Poisson Noir
4/22 Ottawa, ON - Pressed Cafe
4/23 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern
4/25 Chicago, IL - Slow Pony Project *
4/27 Saskatoon, SK - Amigos
4/28 Edmonton, AB - The Buckingham ~
4/29 Calgary, AB - The Palomino ~
4/30 Vancouver, BC - The Astoria

* = w/ Jo Passed
~ = w/ Napalmpom

We're super excited to announce that on Friday, February 26, Vancouver campus radio station CiTR 101.9FM and Mint Records will team up once again to release the fourth installment of the Pop Alliance series!! Showcasing the city’s dynamic local music scene, 11 Vancouver bands, including Mourning Coup, Stefana Fratila, Poor Form, and more have been enlisted to fill the album’s waxy grooves. This compilation arrives just in time to raise funds for local campus/community radio station CiTR, as part of their annual Fundrive, which runs from February 25 to March 4.

For this occasion, Duncan McHugh of Duncan’s Donuts enlisted a team of CiTR DJs—Andy Resto (The Burrow), Eleanor Wearing (Femconcept), Erik Coates (A Face for Radio), Nellie Stark (The Cat’s Pajams), and Nicholas Wang-Tretiak (Muzak for the Observant)—to collect the newest highlights of Vancouver’s independent music community. He even called this his dream team of CiTR DJs!

Only 500 of these vinyl LPs will be pressed. Copies will be available by donating to CiTR’s annual Fundrive, as an LP pre-order from our website, or in record stores. The album includes exclusive tracks from Genderdog, Jerk Jails, Cult Babies, Ace Martens, and minimalviolence and don’t skip on the physical copy because it includes songs from The Shilohs and Ora Cogan that are not available with the digital download. The album was mastered by our good pal Jay Arner and adorned with inimitable album art by Robert Ondzik.

The Pop Alliance LP release party will double as CiTR’s Fundrive Finale on Friday, March 4 at the Hindenburg (23 W Cordova St) in Vancouver with performances by bands that contributed to the compilation.

But who are all these bands on CiTR Pop Alliance, Vol. 4?

Ora Cogan – “Move”

“Big feelings.... All sorts of them. All at the same time.” – Ora Cogan

The Shilohs – “Do the Modern”

Just a rock song about being out of it at a party. Recorded in a shed behind the Lido with Malcom Jack. Matt Krysko on the organ solo, Mike Komaszczuk on the guitar solo. This one could have—should have??—gone on for twenty minutes.

Genderdog – “Aquarium Apartment”

R.I.P. Genderdog...

Jerk Jails – “Extra Flesh”

THEE new band that everybody needs to pay attention to, Jerk Jails are a heavier reincarnation of the Neo Boys. “Extra Flesh” is a Pop Alliance exclusive, and grinds below yer flesh straight to the bone.

Poor Form – “July”

Call it pop-punk or power-pop as you will, bottom line is this is excellently harmonized rage. Poor Form captures the kind of rage and disgust that embraces life in its nastiness. If you aren’t hearing it in July, it could take you back to those idle scorchers. Nothing to do but yell and think.

Cult Babies – “Sister XIII”

Groovy psych from some of Vancouver’s best. Let the haze pummel and/or engulf you, and give in to whatever visions you wish. Written about Tough Age bassist Lauren Smith.

Mourning Coup – “Burn One for the Saints”

Mourning Coup’s music exists in an ethereal realm. Where pop music is distorted in a funhouse mirror and made to matter. You’re dancing by yourself, but all the skeletons of your past are invited.

Stefana Fratila – “Heartland”

“I intended "Heartland" to be listened to on a road-trip or a train ride, it's a song to listen to while in motion, brimming with an intoxicating nostalgia of missing home, or the "Heartland", which for me has always been split between two places, Canada and Romania.” – Stefana Fratila

Late Spring – “Drink You”

Late Spring is an art rock band from Vancouver, Canada. They frankenstein together psych/surf, grunge, and noise influences. “Drink You” is off their debut self-titled Late Spring EP (self-released April 2015).

Ace Martens – “Hiding”

Silky smooth and sticky sweet, “Hiding” is the first song laid to tape since the man became the group: Ace Martens. Recorded in a dimly lit room by Ace himself, the track features Shyla Seller’s tender keyboard and Sarah Cordingley’s chime-laden drums. This song is an extra special exclusive that can only be found on this compilation. It was taken as an early outtake from recording sessions for the forthcoming Palm Springs EP.

minimalviolence – “Body as Landscape”

minimalviolence is one of the top-notch representatives of Vancouver’s thriving underground dance/house scene. Turn the lights off, make sure the room is ice cold, and wallow as you warm up with this gothic pulse.

Hello! We’ve been trying to contain our excitement and omigosh it’s finally time to announce the latest addition to the Mint roster: Fake Tears!

Even before joining as Fake Tears, Larissa Loyva and Elisha May Rembold were already established singers and songwriters in their own right. You’ll probably remember Larissa from her work in P:ano and the Choir Practice, or Elisha from Lost Lover’s Brigade and Shimmering Stars. Or maybe you recognize them both as vocalists for the funked-up Adrian Teacher/Amanda Pezzutto/Shawn Mrazek combo COOL TV? Either way, we’re super excited to have them on board!

The duo’s full-length debut, Nightshifting, is nine songs that send shivers while teeming with beauty. The duelling microKORGs of Loyva and Rembold create a mysterious wonderland and although their masterful label-mate producer Jay Arner’s name is in the credits, these songs show little sign of alteration.

Earnest and unadulterated, Nightshifting explores themes of love and loss but always keeps its playful side in the mirror as these remarkably talented singers let their vocals soar over haunting synths.

Don’t miss your chance to grab this one on vinyl because not only is the sound awesome but so is Sian Hislop’s stunning artwork. LP and digitals versions will be available August 7, but you can pre-order it here now!

For Renny Wilson, whose personality is equal parts avant-disco and infectious snotty punk, he’s made a go of overcoming his angst by crafting pop-driven ditties informed by both Giorgio Moroder and Crass alike. Of course, when he told us that some of his early work was resurfacing, we had to have a look at what exactly that manifesto of teenage turmoil looked like, and the unlikely result was Punk Explosion/Extension.

Available on July 10th, the Renny Wilson Punk Explosion/Extension is the soundtrack to your summer. Whether your friends are urging you to stay out all night, or you’re passing the time by reading the AK Press catalogue under candlelight, this record is just as ready to dance as it is to give the neighbours a little something to freak out about.

"Seven years in the making, Punk Explosion is an unhinged hodge-podge of punk and garage rock that thrashes like a shark in a kiddy pool" - NOISEY