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Music

Take a Ride with Mint Field on the First Cut From Their Debut Album

The Tijuana shoegaze duo have made quite a few ripples on the Californian circuit without even releasing an LP—and they're setting their sights on bigger targets.

Sometimes, music can take you to very specific places or summon very distinct images. There are songs that can easily put you in the middle of a storm in a chaotic city, or that can leave you stranded in the infinite loneliness of the desert. In Mint Field's case, 21-year-old Amor Amezcua (percussion/synths) and Estrella Sánchez (guitar/voice), specialize in making shoegaze that sounds like a collection of old, faded pictures printed on worn paper—the kind that feels like it's going to fall apart with a single touch of hand. It's strange to think of songs as if they were delicate objects, but somehow these two girls from Tijuana achieve that nostalgic fetishism with their music.

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Mint Field is a band from Playas de Tijuana, Baja California, that has caused many ripples in the Californian music scene without even releasing an LP. The duo, initially a trio which originally included bassist Andrés Corella, played in last year's edition of Coachella with only a homemade EP, Primeras Salidas, up their sleeves. That's no small feat, given that Mexican bands are rarely featured on the festival's line up (one per year, maybe?), and it cemented their feat as a band to watch in Mexico and elsewhere.

After releasing their debut EP, which was very rooted in the smells, colors, people and weather of the place they grew up in, the pair released three beautiful singles, “Viceversa,” “Nada es estático” and “Ciudad Satélite,” which showcased the ethereal appeal of their music. However, this Summer Estrella and Amor clustered up to record their debut LP, where they revisited and perfected their three last singles, and included them in the final tracklist of what will be their first full length, Pasar de las luces, which will be available in February 2018. In the process, both grew and changed, both personally and musically—Amor now includes playing the Theremin in her deck of tricks, and also learned to mix, while Estrella played bass, drums and other instruments which were unfamiliar to her until recently.

Mint Field's music sounds more like it belongs in the scenes of Berlin or Glasgow, with layer after layer of instrumental tracks that inevitably conjures their British sonic forefathers, yet the fact that their lyrics are in Spanish changes everything: a juxtaposition of the cold aesthetic with the warmth of a Latin tongue. These contrasts have created their particular dreamscape, with brutally touching results. And today, we're glad to present “Ojos en el carro,” the first cut off of what will be their first LP, Pasar de las luces, which will be published via Innovative Leisure, a Los Angeles label that is home of projects as diverse as the Allah-Las, Tijuana Panthers, Bass Drum Of Death, Clasixxx, and BadBadNotGood. Cierra los ojos, súbele el volumen, y deslízate en esta resbaladilla hacia las nubes.

Amor and Estrella will be touring Europe for the first time early next year, just around the time they'll be releasing their debut LP. In the meantime, close your eyes, crank up the volume, and take a slide into the clouds, with this track that has the same therapeutic effect as a good cry in the shower.

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