Review: Mandy, Indiana – “… EP”

Hailing from Manchester and not Indiana, Mandy, Indiana, formerly known as Gary Indiana, make post-punk that bends and warps the genre on their …EP. As guitarist Scott Fair put it, “We’ve scrapped anything that sounded too normal.”

Opening track “Bottle Episode” starts off with Liam Stewart‘s snare drum rolls that sound like a swarm of angry bees attacking a hulking robot and then it switches to thumping synth bass and horror movie sounds, all with Valentine Caulfield singing in her native French. The percussion on “Nike of Samothrace” sounds like a drunk guy stumbling down a flight of stairs – and I mean that in the best possible sense – while Fair’s guitar and synths remind one of revving, and possibly failing, jet engines. I don’t know if “Alien 3” is inspired by the movie of the same name, but I do know that it’s over six minutes of industrial techno that slays as hard as a Xenomorph.

The EP comes with a remix of “Alien 3” by Daniel Avery that somehow makes the track heavier and, dare I say it, sexier, and the “Club Eat” remix of “Nike of Samothrace” – which ups the speed and would be perfect for a fight scene in whatever Matrix film comes next.

Let’s hope Mandy, Indiana puts out a full LP soon, because this EP will leave you craving more of their work.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]