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Today, Toronto's Kiwi jr. unveiled the video for their first single, "Leslie", off their debut album Football Money. The track is a pulpy murder mystery wrapped up in a two-minute burst of catchy garage-pop and this spirit is reflected in the video, a take off on French noir films of the 60's. The video debuted via Exclaim.ca.

https://exclaim.ca/music/article/kiwi_jr_sign_to_mint_records_for_footb…

The four members of Kiwi Jr. all live in Toronto, though they originally hail from Charlottetown, PEI, separately finding their ways to the big city over various points in the past decade. Now, having found a common language in jangling power-pop and hyper-literate college rock, they are releasing their debut album: Football Money which comes out March 29th, 2019 via Mint Records.

“It’s very much a Toronto record,” says singer-guitarist Jeremy Gaudet. “Even though we’re East Coasters, there’s no nostalgia or romanticizing small towns. This album is about the neighbourhoods we live in and our lives here.”

Kiwi Jr. — featuring frontman Jeremy alongside bandmates Brohan Moore (drums), Brian Murphy (guitar) and Mike Walker (bass) — make jangling power-pop anthems for that second coming of age, when young adulthood turns into full-blown grownup responsibility. Football Money’s 10 tracks document long-term relationships, proper adult jobs, and life in a big city that doesn’t care if you exist.

The brisk 27-minute LP is stuffed with instantly hummable hooks, but Kiwi Jr.’s knack for sweet simplicity is balanced by a love of complex song structures. Grooves turn on a dime, golden melodies emerge and are never repeated, and the lyrics are full of literary references and crafty narratives. Dig past the euphoric group shouts of title track “Football Money” and you’ll find a nuanced look at gentrification while “Salaryman” explores the wild lifestyles of hard-working office drones who party all night only to pass out on bus stop benches.

“Instead of being introspective, these songs are looking outward,” Jeremy explains. This album is about the people we meet and things that happen to make up our days and weeks. It’s less about trying to express ourselves — it’s more interpreting the outside world.”

Kiwi Jr.’s songs are laid-back but never lazy, as the band poured over the LP throughout the course of two years with producer Aaron Goldstein (Daniel Romano, City and Colour). It was mixed by Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh (Preoccupations, METZ), with additional instrumentation and production from Alec O’Hanley (who plays with Brian in Alvvays).

Now that Football Money is done, it serves as a proof that, although big-city life can be alienating, you can still find yourself again by making an album with your friends.

It's that wonderful time of year when everybody decides to ruthlessly rank all the wonderful music they've listened to over the 11 months. We're not above it though! We asked a bunch of our bands to send in year end lists and then made a massive playlist out of it over at Spotify!

Dumb

Spirit of the Beehive - Hypnic Jerks

Table Sugar - Collected Acknowledgements

Navy Gangs - Poach

Palberta - Roach Going Down

Andrea Schiavelli - Good Time Now

Amused - Not Raj

Cardi B - Invasion of Privacy

Pllush - Stranger to the Pain

Milk - Mattress Ranch

Luge - Tall is Just a Feeling

Jarrett Samson (Tough Age)

Bodega: Endless Scroll

Masahiro Takahashi: Omnipresent Windows

Platitudes: Lauds & Matins

Keiji Heino & Sumac: American Dollar Bill- Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous To Look At Face On

S.H.I.T: What Do You Stand For?

Dorothea Paas: One For the Road

Lithics: Mating Surfaces

U.S Girls: in A Poem Unlimited

Mope Grooves: The Waves

Sabiwa: 輪迴

lié

CRUMB - Community Service

Surfbort - Friendship Music

Marie Davidson - Working Class Woman

Table Sugar - Collected Acknowledgments

Shame - Songs of Praise

Juice - Demo 2018

The Protomartyr/Spray Paint -  split 7” “Irony Prompts a Party Rat”

Body Break - Instrumentals no 1.

Policy of Truth - Demos II

Helena Hauff - Qualm

Jessica Jalbert (Faith Healer)

Alanis Obomsawin - Bush Lady 

Christine and the Queens - Chris

Dumb - Seeing Green

John Coltrane - Both Directions at Once

Kristian North - The Last Rock and Roll Record

Neil Young - Roxy: Tonight’s the Night Live

Power Trip - Opening Fire (compilation)

Sophie - Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides

Tony Molina - Kill the Lights

Video Age - Pop Therapy

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Mint Has Remastered The Pack a.d.'s Debut Album and Shared Bonus Track "All Reasons" to Celebrate!

Tintype Out Digitally and on Limited Edition Colour Vinyl from Mint Records on September 28, 2018

Mint Records is very excited to announce that we will be re-issuing the debut album of Vancouver grit-rock warriors The Pack a.d. on exclusive colour vinyl. The band originally recorded the album as their demo tape which Mint then released as their first album in 2008. Today we shared a long lost deep cut, "All Reasons", that was rescued from some dusty tapes and will be added to the digital version of the album. The re-issue also featured updated cover art based on the band's original art from their CDR demo. If you can find the original we challenge you to spot the differences! 

It all started in the mid ‘aughts. This band called The Pack came out of nowhere with some dirt and booze flavoured garage rock and the world made them put “a.d.” at the end of their name to signify that things would never be the same. Soon after recording their debut album, Tintype, the band came over to the Mint offices with a bottle of Jack Daniels and walked out of there with a record contract. Tintype came out shortly after in the middle of a grey January in 2008.
 
A decade later the band has played close to a thousand shows and released seven albums. Their music still feels like a cup of black coffee that you drank too fast (why is my leg moving like that?) but along the way Tintype fell out of print. We’ve decided to fix that. Tintype is finally being re-issued on the format it was meant to be heard… vinyl. We had it re-mastered and we dug through some dusty boxes for old flyers and photos to include in the liner notes to make it extra special and remind you of what you missed or can’t remember. 
  
The Pack a.d. is going back on the road this fall. You’ll be able to get the limited edition gold vinyl version of Tintype from them at all of their shows as well as some special anniversary party in-stores at our favourite record shops.

THE PACK A.D. LIVE:
Aug 31 Spirit Bar - Nelson, B.C. #
Sept 1 The Northern - Fernie, B.C.
Sept 5 Commonwealth - Calgary, AB #
Sept 6 The Station - Edmonton, AB #
Sept 7 Amigos - Saskatoon, SK #
Sept 8 West End Cultural Center - Winnipeg, MB #
Sept 10 White Rabbit - Indianapolis, IN ^^
Sept 11 Northside Tavern - Cincinnati, OH ^^
Sept 12 Gibson Music Hall - Appelton, WI ^^
Sept 13 Company Brewing - Milwaukee, WI ^^
Sept 15 SuperCrawl - Hamilton, ON
Sept 17 Phog Lounge - Windsor, ON # **
Sept 18 Call the Office - London, ON # **
Sept 20 Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ON # **
Sept 21 27 Club - Ottawa, ON # **
Sept 22 TBA - Montreal, QC 

with 
# Sorry Edith (Vancouver, BC)
^^ Brother O Brother (Indianapolis, IN) 
** Basement Revolver (Hamilton, ON)

Hey, we know it's a long way from the cuddle-core and alt-country of Mint's roots but you know what? We love some really vicious punk. Some really grim and dark punk. lié scratches those itches raw and reminds you of everything you should still be angry about. Mint recently re-issued lié's debut album, Consent, on cassette after it lingered out of print for several years. Their follow up album, Truth or Consequences, on Austin, TX based art-punk label Monofonus Press led to extensive touring. After playing at every "ask a punk" venue across North America, lié flew down to Austin to record with Ian Rundell (Spray Paint, The Rebel, etc). The resulting record, Hounds, is cold, hostile, and most of all dark. Mint and Monofonus have teamed up to co-release the new album and we will be offering it on exclusive red vinyl, available only in Canada!

-----------------------

Art by JS Aurelius

Recorded in Austin, TX by Ian Rundel

Mastered by Mikey Young

Peach Kelli Pop's new EP, Which Witch, is coming out in under two weeks for Record Store Day but we love it so much we've already lined up another record from everyone's favourite sunshine punks. Peach Kelli Pop are back with Gentle Leader, the band’s 4th full length album and first in three years. Gentle Leader is a departure for Peach Kelli Pop’s founder, Allie Hanlon, demonstrating growth and a new confidence as a musician and songwriter. The album captures the band at a crossroads exploring new ideas and complexity while maintaining their colorful energy. Today, NPR debuted the first single from the record, the absolutely giddy "Hello Kitty Knife"

Gentle Leader’s 10 tracks are inspired by a unique range of guitar driven power pop and feedback laden post-punk from the 80’s and 90’s. Unlike the band's past releases which were almost entirely written, recorded and produced by Hanlon, Gentle Leader is a collaborative effort. Hanlon shared production duties with engineer Roland Cosio who also played guitar on some of the songs. Sophie Negrini is also featured on guitar, while Andrew Bassett of Portland’s party-punk band The Mean Jeans provided the drumming. Gina Negrini, the band's bassist, contributed the song “Quiet” to the album. This new collaborative spirit works well, highlighting the strengths of each performer and creating a more sophisticated record without sacrificing Hanlon’s distinct vision.

Gentle Leader frequently jumps from distortion and hyperactivity into soft harmonies and tangible vulnerability. The exhilarating “Hello Kitty Knife” kicks the album off with a giddy urgency. Things take a turn with an intimate take on the UK indie-pop classic “Honey” by The Marine Girls. The unembellished vocals and shimmering guitars reflect the spirit of the 80s' DIY underground and are brought to light by the production values reminiscent of an early Violent Femmes album. “Black Magic” transports the listener to the moment one first realizes their relationship will soon end, capturing the distinct feeling of heartbreak and angst with its disorienting buzz saw guitar. The dreamy “Parasomnia” is hazy doo-wop drenched in layers of warped vintage Casio synth tones with Hanlon singing solemnly about the inconvenience of obsessive desire. Like a collection of short stories, each of the 10 tracks on Gentle Leader possesses its own background, narrative and unique charm.

Further evidence of the band’s evolution, Hanlon opted to retire the the classic layout featured on the band’s previous album covers. Gentle Leader features a fantastical illustration by Brooklyn artist Miza Coplin that captures the animated, abstract and vibrant world in which Peach Kelli Pop exists. Like an entry point to that world, lyrical references and themes from songs on Gentle Leader can be found in Coplin’s artwork.

Peach Kelli Pop will be touring extensively in support of Gentle Leader and the Which Witch EP, including time in Japan in May, followed by a full tour of North America in the summer and Europe later in the year.

We've been going to see Dumb play for a couple of years now and loved every wild and cramped DIY second of it! They're the best bits of all of your favourite post-punk bands and they kinda sound like Mission of Burma covering Devo. We've also loved all three albums the band has put out in the last two years! Three albums in two years! I can't even get up in time to make toast before I go to work in the morning!

We wanted to see where Dumb was going to take us so we signed 'em up for a new record which they have called Seeing Green. It's coming out (on green vinyl of course) on June 22, 2018. The first single (appropriately called Mint) just dropped today... have a listen and get Dumb with us!

Here is the one sheet if you want to be further sold on how cool Dumb is:

Dumb is the new smart. Don’t believe us? Look no further than this ridiculously prolific Vancouver quartet, who have somehow cracked the code on including quality with their quantity. Over the last two years, Dumb have self-released three albums of quirky, frenetic post-punk. While others might go stale, however, the band seems to break new ground with each new idea.

Enter Seeing Green, the band’s first full-length for Mint Records. The album’s 14 tracks were produced by Jordan Koop (Wolf Parade, You Say Party, the Courtneys) at the Noise Floor on Gabriola Island, BC. While it’s the band’s first time working on this relatively larger scale, Koop’s production has simply crystallized their ideas.

The result is a batch of songs that sound both urgent and timeless, referencing classic post-punk projects like DEVO, Pylon or the Mekons while placing them nicely within the pantheon of Canadian contemporaries like Ought, Fountain and Freak Heat Waves.

Musically, Seeing Green’s jagged guitars and punchy rhythm section lay a perfect basis for their lyrics, all of which explore the inherent absurdity of modern life. As frontman Franco Rossino says, “The album revolves around a confused and angry young person unknowingly being tossed around by the same western capitalist conditioning that we’ve all been raised on. Green in this sense refers to being a novice, as well as to money, envy, and growth. It’s meant to be somewhat of a self-aware exaggeration of some feelings in our every day lives that we often don’t want to admit to and may even lie to ourselves about.”

At times paranoid and other times exuberant, Seeing Green dares you to dance and deconstruct. It’s a trim, explosive collection of songs that suggests these four will be cranking out hits for years to come. It’s time to get Dumb.

Dumb is Franco Rossino (guitar, vocals), Shelby Vredik (bass), Nick Short (guitar) and Pipé Morelli (drums).

Mint Records and CiTR 101.9FM have announced the 5th Volume of their compilation series and shared the first single, "Garnet Graves" from Devours via Exclaim!

CiTR's Pop Alliance Vol. 5 will be available April 13th, 2018

Mint Records has joined forces with CiTR 101.9FM and Discorder Magazine once again for the fifth volume of the now classic Pop Alliance Compilation series! The collection, which has become a bi-annual tradition between Mint Records and the University of British Columbia radio station, aims to showcase everything that is new and vital in the Vancouver independent music scene. Past artists featured have included The Courtneys, Weed, Apollo Ghosts and a wide variety of other Vancouver staples. This year another group of artists from a diverse range of disciplines including High Plains, Swim Team, Tough Customer and more highlight some of the best from the West Coast ca. 2017-18.

Curated by Music Director Andy Resto and members of the CiTR Student Executive, CiTR and Discorder have settled on a broader understanding of the definition of “pop” this time around. Kicking off with a sincere piano-driven pop ballad from Chris-a-riffic, the first half of the LP continues in an angular route with Tough Customer’s “Secretly the Mayor” before descending gradually into the danceable art rock of Swim Team and the depths of post-punk dread in Passive’s “Vulture Halo.” The second half of the LP departs completely from the established Pop Alliance structure, bookended with two contemporary classical pieces from High Plains (feat. Scott Morgan of Loscil) and composer Peggy Lee, who wrote her piece “Landscape” exclusively for the compilation. The two middle tracks are frantic electronica from shitlord fuckerman and Devours.

Artwork for Vol. 5 was done by Andrea Lukic (Nu Sensae, Hick) and ties together an overall penchant for a left-field, avant-garde approach to the pop medium.

Pop Alliance Vol.5 will be released at a CiTR station fundraiser party in East Vancouver on Friday, April 13th at The Astoria. The event will feature performances by several of the artists appearing on the compilation including Swim Team, Tough Customer, Devours and Chris-a-riffic. You can find more info on Facebook here.

Toronto's Reluctant Punks Tough Age recently shared a new video for "Unclean" off their 2017 LP, Shame via Brooklyn Vegan along with new North Eastern US tour dates. The band picked Ottawa native Travis Boisvenue to direct the video. "I had no idea what to expect" Tough Age singer Jarrett Samson said to Brooklyn Vegan. "and (we) love the subversion of expectations in the framing, cutting & matching of this video — I think it works with and enhances the song so perfectly." 

In the two years since Tough Age’s sophomore LP, I Get The Feeling Central, the curmudgeonly comic book loving band have reinvented themselves. Founding members Jarrett Samson and Penny Clark relocated to Toronto from Vancouver, channelling their love of Flying Nun indie-pop into a new three-piece line-up with drummer Jesse Locke (Century Palm, Simply Saucer). The first glimpse at this new direction was their “Guess Not/Unclean” 7” EP, now followed by their long-awaited third album, Shame, which came out on Mint Records on October 20th, 2017. 

Tough Age on Tour:

March 21 - Ottawa, ON @ Black Squirrel Books

March 22 - Montreal, QC @ Brasserie Beaubien

March 23 - Winooski, VT @ Monkey House

March 24 - Northampton, MA @ The Basement

March 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Sound Hole

March 26 - Manhattan, NY @ Berlin*

March 29 - Princeton, NJ @ The Terrace Club*

March 30 - Kutztown, PA @ Spaghetti House*

March 31 - Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville

April 4 - Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha

* w/ Future Punx

Los Angeles Based Peach Kelli Pop Announce New EP and Share Video for First Single, "Crooked & Crazy" via What Youth

Which Witch available April 21st as a Special Record Store Day Release on limited edition coloured vinyl

Allie Hanlon’s "sunshine punk" PEACH KELLI POP returns after 2 years with a 6 song EP, Which Witch, available exclusively at independent record shops for RSD 2018 via Mint Records. Today the band shared a video for the first single, "Crooked & Crazy", via What Youth who called the track "warm, bright, poppy, like your favorite flavor of zebra fruit stripe chewing gum."
 
In December 2017, Hanlon spent a week in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada. She recorded the EP in just four days, utilizing the dust-coated equipment left in her bedroom after she emigrated to the United States in 2013. “I really benefited from being in the specific home, and even room where I learned to play music when I was growing up.”

Which Witch is akin to the Redd Kross’ Posh Boy EP - both have 6 songs, each close to a minute long. All 4 members of Peach Kelli Pop are outspoken Redd Kross fans; which comes as no surprise: the band is named after a Redd Kross song. Hanlon, originally a drummer (most notably from the White Wires), plays unadorned, archetypal punk drums, layers them with fuzzy, at times warbling guitars, elaborate basslines, and layers of fervent vocals.

On earlier material, Hanlon’s voice was passive, frequently inaudible and blanketed in reverb. Those days are gone; She now sings with confidence and clarity, demonstrating a refreshing assertiveness not seen before in her work. Which Witch holds the first glimpse of an evolution, a new stage in which Hanlon is finally no longer holding back.