For a debut album, Alice Merton's Mint plants itself in the listener's ears starting off with a strong bass line in the first track, "Learn to Live". Alice Merton's voice layers itself as the song progresses building an edgy and heavy first track for an indie rock artist. The songwriting preaches about life (and very little about love) with catchy choruses and fun guitar riffs.
The album as a whole appears to be a background for Merton's adventures in life. "2 Kids" is an ode to her manager and his relationship with her. Merton's music was not accepted by major record labels, causing her to start her own. This rebellion against mainstream art has created her success as an indie artist. "2 Kids" provides nostalgia for her early beginnings and career.
Right after "2 Kids", Merton hits the audience with her biggest song. "No Roots" is a catchy song with a constantly moving bassline, bringing us into the world of Merton. As the song states, she has "no roots" constantly moving between countries. All of her experiences have built the music that she tours with today.
The fourth track on the album, "Funny Business" gives off a fun vibe before the album leads to a bit of a darker tune. "Homesick" discusses Merton's constant travel and the effect that her relationships have had on her life. Clapping noises underneath her voice bring the listener into the song with an interactive aspect. The rhythm is nice to listen to, but hard to repeat since it is unique. Her creative rhythms continue through the next two tracks, "Lash Out" and "Speak Your Mind". "Speak Your Mind" brings an electric tone to the forefront of the song, showing a diversity in instrumentals.
The electric instrumentals continue through the next song, "I Don't Hold A Grudge", before Merton slows down the pace with "Honeymoon Heartbreak". Her intimate vocals soar in this love song as the instrumentals tone down to make space for her. The song has an ease and smoothness that is incomparable with the rest of the album. It is a relieving change of pace for an album that is stacked with constant bass lines. Merton gets a chance to show off her range at the end of the song as well.
To me, "Trouble In Paradise" is a reflection on the rest of the album. This penultimate track leads us to the final track on the album, "Why So Serious". The final track reminds us that life does not need to be taken so seriously. This is a nice message to end the album for an artist that is sure to sell out many shows on her current tour. I also highly recommend checking out her No Roots EP!
Score: 8/10
Favorite Tracks: "Learn To Live", "No Roots", "Homesick", "Speak Your Mind", Honeymoon Heartbreak", "Why So Serious"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Lash Out", "Trouble In Paradise"
Image credit: By Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA - Alice Merton 12/11/2017 #7, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75343734
The album as a whole appears to be a background for Merton's adventures in life. "2 Kids" is an ode to her manager and his relationship with her. Merton's music was not accepted by major record labels, causing her to start her own. This rebellion against mainstream art has created her success as an indie artist. "2 Kids" provides nostalgia for her early beginnings and career.
Right after "2 Kids", Merton hits the audience with her biggest song. "No Roots" is a catchy song with a constantly moving bassline, bringing us into the world of Merton. As the song states, she has "no roots" constantly moving between countries. All of her experiences have built the music that she tours with today.
The fourth track on the album, "Funny Business" gives off a fun vibe before the album leads to a bit of a darker tune. "Homesick" discusses Merton's constant travel and the effect that her relationships have had on her life. Clapping noises underneath her voice bring the listener into the song with an interactive aspect. The rhythm is nice to listen to, but hard to repeat since it is unique. Her creative rhythms continue through the next two tracks, "Lash Out" and "Speak Your Mind". "Speak Your Mind" brings an electric tone to the forefront of the song, showing a diversity in instrumentals.
The electric instrumentals continue through the next song, "I Don't Hold A Grudge", before Merton slows down the pace with "Honeymoon Heartbreak". Her intimate vocals soar in this love song as the instrumentals tone down to make space for her. The song has an ease and smoothness that is incomparable with the rest of the album. It is a relieving change of pace for an album that is stacked with constant bass lines. Merton gets a chance to show off her range at the end of the song as well.
To me, "Trouble In Paradise" is a reflection on the rest of the album. This penultimate track leads us to the final track on the album, "Why So Serious". The final track reminds us that life does not need to be taken so seriously. This is a nice message to end the album for an artist that is sure to sell out many shows on her current tour. I also highly recommend checking out her No Roots EP!
Score: 8/10
Favorite Tracks: "Learn To Live", "No Roots", "Homesick", "Speak Your Mind", Honeymoon Heartbreak", "Why So Serious"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Lash Out", "Trouble In Paradise"
Image credit: By Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA - Alice Merton 12/11/2017 #7, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75343734
