Poland’s Minerals clearly like the British. For this combination of post-rock simplicity, indie fuzz and maudlin vocals is a platter of Brit alternative influences. Think Coldplay or, if you’d rather avoid musical excrement, mid-career Radiohead. Consider opener 01010110. The insanely repetitive two-note riff, lugubrious vocals and wordless chanting ought to be as welcome as Snow Patrol offering to come round and do a gig in your lounge, yet the overall effect is mesmerising.
Some of their work, sadly, is a little too straightforward: Last Time uses acoustic angst in a way that is pleasant at best, and Discount would struggle to make the cut as a Coldplay B-side. Far more intriguing is Fast Forward, a psych-country ballad with a loose dance beat that showcases Filip Pokłosiewicz’s relaxed vocals.
Minerals toy with new things but much of this album, including mid-tempo chugger Fable, has an eye for the easy kill. There’s nothing wrong with mass appeal, but Minerals have the potential to exploring new sonic spaces.
Trippy and spaced out yet with melodic sensibility, Back Track reveals what the band can do. They should consider taking that road less travelled.
