ALBUM REVIEW: All Girls Go To Heaven – Mint Green
The cover for MINT GREEN‘s debut album All Girls Go To Heaven, shows the band’s images photoshopped onto an artistic background. It’s the kind of thing that’s reminiscent of an artwork you might see in an art gallery, but of course all that really matters here is the music. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, and with two EPs to their name thus far, the band’s mission is to capture the things everyone feels, but never says aloud – can they achieve this?
With ten tracks on offer, the band ease us in with opener Against The Grain – a gentle, acoustic track that might be reminiscent of indie-pop singer Phoebe Bridgers to some people. That makes a lot of sense considering MINT GREEN did cover some of her songs in 2020, but it is a bit of an unfair comparison to make, because not all indie artists sound the same. This is proven on Body Language, a track which lures the audience in with a gentle guitar before exploding into a full blown rock song. Of course, it is by no means heavy rock, but it is heavier than the first song. It leans more into pop-punk, and the band sound like they are having a load of fun – which is definitely the best thing. An album is at its greatest when a band let go and have fun.
With All Girls Go To Heaven produced by the band themselves in collaboration with Collin Pastore, it’s clear that they’ve had a say in how they want to shape their own sound. And it is a wonderful sound indeed. A blend of pop-punk, indie-rock and even elements of straight-up punk, this mish-mash of genres showcases that MINT GREEN can’t be contained in one box. It is a bold choice for a debut. In less capable hands, this album could’ve become a mess of over-stuffed guitars, drums and vocals. However, the production fixes all these potential problems. Not only that, but it makes the album’s pacing neither too fast nor too slow.
A mid-tempo album might sound dull to some people; however, the energetic songs that pop out of the so-called ‘slower’ songs surprise the audience. A good example of this is Golden, whose first half is a sombre, slow song that suddenly explodes with energy. Even though the energy drops during the verses, the choruses make up for that.
In conclusion, All Girls Go To Heaven might just be one of the best debuts of the year. MINT GREEN waste no time in introducing themselves to the audience. Furthermore, the production is the highlight of the entire album. It manages to make what could be a bit of a mess of an album into a cohesive record with excellent pacing. Furthermore, credit also has to go to MINT GREEN themselves, who know exactly who they are soundwise. Each song fits the album perfectly; there is nothing on the album that could be cut and it wouldn’t make a difference. Every song deserves to be here. This is a sparkling debut for fans of indie-pop, pop-punk and just all round fantastic and well-produced music.
Rating: 9/10
All Girls Go To Heaven is set for release on June 3rd via Pure Noise Records.
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