Voids

by Minus the Bear

Overview

The Seattle-based indie rockers' sixth full-length, and their first outing since the departure of longtime kit man Erin Tate, Voids arrives three years after Minus the Bear's B-sides and rarities collection, Lost Loves, and five years after their last proper studio LP, Infinity Overhead. New drummer Kiefer Matthias is more than up to the task. The band's penchant for pairing tight, loopy beats and mathy guitar noodling with sinewy verse melodies that reveal big rousing choruses is on display early with the lovelorn opener "Last Kiss," one of several cuts that mines heartache and missed connections for emotional riches. Knotty follow-up "Give & Take" and the propulsive "Robot Heart" lean harder on the band's prog and post-punk tendencies, while the moody "Silver" distills both predilections into one of their most immediate and compelling songs to date. Two of Voids' best offerings, the soulful "Call the Cops" and the atmospheric closer "Lighthouse," flirt with dream pop, but the staccato guitar work and soulful croon of frontman Jake Snider helps to keep things firmly in the recognizable Minus the Bear universe. Despite their five-year absence from the studio, the band still sound like the well-oiled machine that discovered their mojo on their 2006 sophomore outing Menos el Oso. There's a bit more pure pop intention to be found on Voids, but it retains the left-field charm that made them one of the more captivating acts to watch amidst the alt-to-indie rock shift that dominated the late '90s and early 2000s. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/2017
Label:	Suicide Squeeze
UPC:	0803238015217
Rank:	51581

Tracks

1. Last Kiss
2. Give & Take
3. Call the Cops
4. Invisible
5. What About the Boat?
6. Silver
7. Tame Beasts
8. Erase
9. Robotic Heart
10. Lighthouse

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Minus the Bear   Primary Artist
Jake Snider   Guitar,Vocals
Sam Bell   Guitar
David Knudson   Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Alex Rose   Vocals,Keyboards
Cory Murchy   Bass
Eric Arke   Percussion
Irene Barber   Vocals
Kiefer Matthias   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Jake Snider   Group Member
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Sam Bell   Mixing,Producer,Programming
Minus the Bear   Composer
David Knudson   Group Member
Alex Rose   Group Member
Cory Murchy   Group Member
Nick Steinhardt   Design,Art Direction
Kiefer Matthias   Group Member