Mexican dream pop group
Mint Field began recording their third album,
Aprender a Ser, before 2020's
Sentimiento Mundial was released, and continued working on material until the beginning of 2023. A bit more spacious and mysterious than their other records, it drifts further from the noise-pop and Krautrock influences of their debut, embracing more electronics and ambient textures. "El Suspiro Cambia Todo" is a somnambulant introduction about how sighing is a subconscious form of release. "Sueno Despierto" has fluttering saxophone that makes the song feel like an ethereal flashback. Trippy effects and wavy rhythms seep their way into other tracks, and "Moronas" is a stirring, drum machine-driven song about missing the past but accepting the present. "Respiro Profundo" has more aggressive guitar distortion as well as crunchy, almost breakbeat-like drums, and is easily one of the album's most stunning moments. "Orquidea" has a post-punk drive to the rhythm, but it's all about the heavenly reverb on the vocals. Nostalgic pianos ring out from the daydreaming swirl of "Cinco Dias." The drum machine returns for "Antes de Que Se Acabe el Ano," a sweetly melancholy tune with glimmering keyboards and angelic yet intimate vocals. Like the previous two
Mint Field albums,
Aprender a Ser explores different sonic spaces from track to track but largely manages to stick to a unified mood, one that feels lonesome and slightly disoriented but still has a sense of wonder. ~ Paul Simpson
