Mint Mind

Mint Mind fuse garage rock, indie textures, vintage electronics, and Krautrock elements into a distinctive sound. The German outfit is fronted by American transplant Rick McPhail, who characterizes their output as "heavy music for nerdy people." While the songs rest on straightforward structures, they gain depth through shifting atmospheres and broad sonic resources. Their first full-length effort, 2014's Near Mint, placed guitars at the forefront and balanced wry lyrics against an undercurrent of darkness. Guitars remained prominent on the follow-up, 2020's Thoughtsicles, yet the melodies grew moodier and the instrumental layers thickened. By the time VG+ appeared in 2023, the group had reached its most intricate point, threading dense electronic elements through the guitar-driven arrangements.

McPhail entered the world in Biddeford, Maine, in 1970. After an initial move to San Francisco in hopes of building a music career, he crossed to Germany in 1993, spending time in Wuppertal and Cologne before establishing himself in Hamburg in 1999. His European years proved more fruitful than those in the States; he helped form Venus Vegas, which released Bring Me the Head of Johnny Marr in 1997 and Gold in 2001. McPhail continued to write and sing exclusively in English even after relocating. While Venus Vegas were still active, he joined the crew of Tocotronic in 2000, working first as a roadie and instrument technician. Once the band recognized his abilities following Venus Vegas' dissolution, McPhail joined Tocotronic as a full member on guitar and keyboards beginning in 2004. In 2006 he launched the parallel project Glacier—also known as Glacier (Of Maine)—which merged dark shoegaze and goth influences with acoustic guitars and keyboards, yielding A Sunny Place for Shady People that same year and Above and Beside Me in 2010.

Amid his Tocotronic commitments, McPhail unveiled Mint Mind in 2014 alongside guitarist and backing vocalist Frank Stöckling and backing vocalist Sven Janetzko. The project's inaugural recording, Near Mint, appeared first on cassette and was written, produced, engineered, and mixed entirely by McPhail; Deadwood Records later pressed it on vinyl in 2016. Four years passed before the next Mint Mind album surfaced. Issued by Upper Room in early 2020, Thoughtsicles introduced a revised lineup featuring Christian Klindworth on guitar and Tim Wenzlick on drums. The vinyl edition contained ten tracks, while the CD version added eighteen more across two discs. McPhail next signed with Tapete Records for VG+, which arrived in November 2023. The album showcased an expanded sonic range and a more atmospheric character, with Friedel Viegener—now the group's drummer—taking the place of Tim Wenzlick.