Labels: Caulfield
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I’ve got these guys first 7″, and it was rather neat in a fuzzy, incomplete way. So when I saw they had a brand new release on Caulfield, I thought I’d get a hold of it. Good move.
M.I.J. have tightened up a little since their breezy but messy debut, and have perfected a sweetly styled ’30 Degrees…’ Promise Ring mixed with Sunny Day emo pop-rock sound. They also have one of the most driftily odd sounding boy singers I’ve heard, he’s a bit mumbly and quite girlie. Hee! And the backing singing is similar. Actually, the singing and some of the music bring to mind Christie Front Drive at times or maybe the fact that they both have stuff on Caulfield is just doing strange things to me.
Opening song “Bloo” is a pure honey, a beautifully pleasant mix of dreamily soft and slowness plus some more rocking parts, all surrounding that wobbly singing. Next up, my favourite track, “November Doesn’t Know That (You Don’t Sing)” which has all that early P-Ring melodic drive to it, bouncing you a long to the beat. “Seasons All Around” is slower, but picks things up pace a bit for a much more energetic ‘chorus’. Makes me want to sway about. Last track “This Will End” should be at least 6 minutes longer than it’s current 90 seconds. Impeccable harmonies with some acoustic guitar weaving wonders in the background. *bump* is the sound of me falling off my chair.
Do give these guys a look if you love stlye, softness, drive and melody, and with a full length in the offing, they might just sneak into the void left behind by the now total pop genius that is the Promise Ring.