This is an unpublished review I wrote a while back for Craccum. Additionally "Say Goodbye" has recently been announced as a nominee for the Silver Scrolls soundwriting awards - lets hope Dane Rumble loses out to this one...
The noticeable feature of Bad Buzz is that it isn’t actually an EP! The Mint Chicks have replaced the CD with a beautifully designed USB stick. Whether or not this innovation will eventuate beyond being a good looking gimmick is debatable. However their new 60’s sound is definitively more enduring.
The Mint Chicks have always advocated their 60’s influence, which becomes evident on Bad Buzz. The first two tracks feature the vintage keys and lyrical content harking back to 60’s pop group The Zombies.
Nevertheless a prospective focus is forged throughout. Consider the twin pop prowess of “Bad Buzz” and “Say Goodbye”. The delicate keys and song structures are soon broken up by instrumental breakdowns and the welcome return of Michael Logie’s thumping bass.
The rhyme section is more appreciable than on Screens explaining the bands recent double-drum live set up. Additionally the Brian Eno-ish escapades in Screens are filtered into the mix, prominent in the EP’s feature-piece “You’ve Got Spray Paint In Your Third Eye”.
The Minites haven’t written a song this downright epic since “Opium of the People.” Ruben Nielsen’s guitars screeches out of a throbbing rhythm section, while Kody’s hopeful vocals lulls you along to an erotic sing-along chorus, despite its typically obscure lyrics. The effecting sound-scapes return before minimal bleeping creeps the song to its conclusion, leaving you gasping for more.
The Mint Chicks prove yet again why they are New Zealand most respected underground act, managing to refresh their sound yet retaining their distinctly ‘Minty’ core.
Life In One Chord
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