Minatore ‘Content’ – Debut Album Review
Bad Tattoo have long been supporters of Minatore. Back in 2017 we said “Trust me when I say this band is special” and we weren’t wrong. When we first saw Minatore there were heavy ‘Bleach’ era Nirvana vibes. The grunge is still strong but new album ‘Content’ delivers a more mature approach to the early noise but loses none of the aggression or power.
Singer-guitarist Tommy Keeling’s songwriting has really grown since their inception. With this, drummer Morgan Pettigrew grounds the punk with a 70s vibe that brings to mind Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. It’s an approach that the gives the music a jam like quality, which is on magnificent display in ‘Featherstone’. A song that effortlessly glides from punk rock to metal.
Hotshot Producer
As a two piece there was a concern the sound would be thin. This turns out to be totally unfounded. ‘Content’ boasts a thick, raw and full sound that echoes early Soundgarden recordings. So much so we assumed Minatore had landed a hotshot producer to give them that Fugazi edge. But it’s not Albini or Vig behind the mixing desk, but Keeling himself.
The Canvas Sessions
Recorded during 2018 in only 3 days, when the pandemic hit Tommy took scraps from these demos and reworked them. At the time he was also homeless and living in a tent. He’d charge his laptop in Costa during the day, then work at night on the album. Desperately using those precious few hours before his battery died. It was during these canvas based sessions that Tommy tasked himself with replicating the sounds he could hear in his head.
Working with others didn’t help, so he kept at it, redoing the vocals and guitars until he got them right. The album cost only £300 to record, but that value doesn’t reflect Tommy’s blood, sweat and tears. ‘Content’ is DIY at its best. Major label backing and £300k couldn’t improve on what Tommy’s delivered.
This is also a band who has struggled against adversity. During the production of ‘Content’ Tommy, a transgender a man, was also dealing with his transition and acceptance in a world that has politicised his pain for votes. We recently found out a big hero of ours is transphobic, which shocked us to our core. On this album it feels like Tommy has addressed the balance and made us feel better about life. Trans or not, Tommy is an inspiration.
Talent and hard work do pay off
Morgan is also a young man with his own battles, having beat cancer twice. The fact this album or even the band itself exists is nothing short of a miracle. It’s also proof that talent and hard work do pay off.
There’s 11 tracks on ‘Content’, with not a dud in sight. These are songs to mosh to, to skate to, to live to. There’s slices of Smashing Pumpkins’ era ‘Gish’ on display; Raw, passionate and beautifully constructed riffs and melodies that grow throughout each song. There’s light and shade too, as ’11:30 (The Hour intro)’ has Pink Floyd vibes, that can drift your hangover away.
No song sounds the same and each track is strong enough to be a single. This is Courtney Love Hole at its finest, laced with the brilliance of Cobain and the energy and passion of Rage Against The Machine
We’re genuinely blown away by this album
Standout tracks include ‘Sunshowers’, a duet between Tommy and Morgan, with Morgan unleashing his best Chris Cornell on the world. ‘HB2’ is sheer garage punk bliss and ‘Studio 61’ attains Chats levels of joy and self awareness.
We’re genuinely blown away by this album. We’ve always loved Minatore but ‘Content’ has exceeded our expectations. This has to be one of the best debut albums in a long time. Its very existence is a triumph. Trans, cancer, homeless or not – ‘Content’ is an incredible achievement.
Minatore lads, you’ve done good. Real good.
9/10
https://minatore.bandcamp.com/merch
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