MINT, aptly named after the numerous mint-references in cultmovie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, used to be the kind of band that is mostly known and respected by the small group of true rock-connaisseurs. But that bubbling under kind of status changed drastically whith the release of their second album 'Magnetism' in 2006.

With it's hitsingles 'Your shopping lists are poetry' and 'The magnetism of pure gold', the album was quickly embraced by the Belgian audience. And with the press and radio following suit the whole thing snowballed. Some facts: more than one hundred US radiostations spun tracks from 'Magnetism'. 'Your shopping lists are poetry' topped both Belgian, Dutch ànd US listener's charts. The Magnetismtour went well over the hundred live shows-marker, including a memorable show on Pukkelpop's mainstage. 'Your shopping lists are poetry' was used in a glossy German TV-commercial. The band was nominated for a TMF-award and won a PIL-award. And on one autumn's Sunday in 2006 MINT even made Belgium's eighty something Queen Fab dance. Erhm yes indeed!

Amidst all this singer and songwriter Erwin Marcisz kept writing new songs and in early 2007 the band - consisting further of Erwin's brother Philippe Marcisz on bass, Kim Windmolders on synths, Steve Janssens on guitar and Tim Claes on drums – started working on this material. The result is 'Hinterland', a brilliant indie pop gem that shows a band flirting with the boundaries of their self-created musical universe. Once again joining forces with golden duo John Morand & Alan Weatherhead, MINT has succeeded in crafting an album of songs that sound familiar and intriguing in equal measure. From the sad freak-folkversus- casiobeats balladry of 'IVR, the friendly voice' to the synth-drenched headbutt-riff of 'Giving blood to machines', from the psychedelic summer pop of 'White line' to the infectious melancholy of 'Brand new toy' with its sublimely cast children's choir, it definitely is quite an adventurous route. But, the guides are trustworthy and the views are thrilling!

Marcisz hangs his metaphors in unlikely places and creates a puzzling lyrical scenery that complements naturally with the je-ne-sais-quoi shoegazer aestethic of the music. Everything culminates in Hinterland's title track; an epic song of aching beauty ending in a haunting banjo melody that seems to recall the gloomy national anthem of a forlorn centraleuropean country. 'Hinterland' is intense, fascinating and simply beautiful.

A new album will be released in 2010...

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