MP3: Mixtapes & Cellmates - The better half of cynical boys
July's Record Club selection is the self-titled debut from Mixtapes & Cellmates. On backup: the new EP collection "A retrospective". Young, smart and oblivious to lame trends, Mixtapes are easily one of my favorite indiepop bands right now. That is, if you could label their music as merely that - there's so much else going on, from glitchy electronic beats to fuzzy shoegazer textures and more. For a debut album, this is incredibly well-composed and self-assured and probably just the very start of what I imagine will be a long and fruitful career. "The better half of cynical boys" builds off a clever acoustic guitar figure that frames a simple, frail vocal. The chorus introduces string textures and the guitar gets busier, but they never overwhelm the main vocal melody. It's a delicate balancing act as there's quite a bit going on, but they pull it off without a problem, without ever getting too self-indulgent.
Mixtapes & Cellmates - The better half of cynical boys