Music

Fresh Mint class: Meet Mint Records' newest signings

by Josiah Hughes

Mint Records’ renaissance (which we’ve written about right here) would be nothing without their stable of new talent. Here, we introduce you to the new artists breathing a breath of fresh air into the Mint roster.

RENNY WILSON

The Edmonton disco-pop auteur released his debut solo album Sugarglider, a collection of late-night dance pop jams, via Mint in January.

AUX: What’s your favourite Mint release of all time and why?

Renny Wilson: Mine, because I’ve listened to it (as I had to) over 100 times.

Have you noticed a recent shift in the label?

I have noticed a shift, especially in the last handful of releases, not to mention up and comers Tough Age. I never paid a whole lot of attention to labels, but I did know that Mint was one of the bigger Canadian indies. When I was in high school, I remember when Hot Panda got signed to Mint and everyone was all like, ‘Whoa, that band got signed to Mint!” I was all like, ‘What is Mint?’ That’s how I knew….

What do you hope to accomplish as an artist on Mint?

The label is very supportive, not to mention tolerant of my bullshit. I hope to continue working with them in the future, as I see good things on the horizon for them. And myself.

PICK A PIPER

Pick a Piper is the brainchild of Brad Weber, who previously made waves as the drummer in Caribou’s live band. Now, the Toronto-based musician is making some lush, organic dance pop of his own.

AUX: What’s your favourite Mint release of all time and why?

Brad Weber: It’s probably a tie between Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers. A.C. Newman writes some of the catchiest pop rock of all time in my opinion. It actually takes a lot to draw me towards that genre, but that band just totally does it for me and those records remain some of my favourites of all time.

Have you noticed a recent shift in the label?

The label has come in and out of my life over the years. I remember them putting out Gob records in the ’90s and this band Cub from Vancouver that Neko Case was in. Two of my favourite bands of the early to mid 2000s were Immaculate Machine and the New Pornographers, who were both on Mint. Just as I was getting curious to what they were up to these days, I’m diving right in as a full-fledged member of the family! I must be honest and admit that I haven’t had a chance to listen to everything, but I love Renny Wilson’s record and am really stoked to see how Jay Arner does.

What do you hope to accomplish as an artist on Mint?

I’d love to put out a number of records over the coming years and grow as a band and an artist with Mint by my side. They are some of the kindest people I’ve ever worked with and I really can’t say enough good things about our relationship so far. I’m mostly just excited to see where things go!

JAY ARNER

Arguably the poster boy of Mint’s new movement (no, really—just check out his topless album cover), indie pop crooner Jay Arner released a near-perfect self-titled LP in June. If you like terse pop songs with equal attention to craftsmanship and production, you can’t go wrong with Jay Arner.

AUX: What’s your favourite Mint release of all time and why?

Jay Arner: Brigadoon by P:ano. It’s got great songs — what, like 20 of them? And super lyrics, and production from The Hive boys. Tough Age might be the next classic though.

Have you noticed a recent shift in the label?

I have! 2013 in particular, they’re signing some really cool people — it’s the year of risky awesome new bands for Mint. The Tough Age record they’re releasing in the fall is like really noisy bubblegum, and it’s a pretty bold move yet it makes a lot of sense. And all the new Mint bands have been sticking together — it really feels like we’re the new class.

What do you hope to accomplish with the label?

Going all the way! All the way to… I don’t know? Seriously though, I have never had any help on this scale releasing a record, so I’m going to take full advantage and tour anywhere we can and just do whatever in general for the record.

TOUGH AGE

The latest addition to Mint’s ever-growing roster, Tough Age was formed out of the ashes of Vancouver acts Apollo Ghosts and Korean Gut. Playing their first show in January this year, they’ve perfected their psych-drenched garage punk and channelled it into a new LP, tentatively slated for November release.

AUX: What’s your favourite Mint release of all time and why?

Tough Age: My answer for favourite Mint record has to be something by Cub. Cub are one of the bands that changed my life, and for me their best release is Hot Dog Day. Why? It’s perfect, that’s why! Any record with ‘My Chinchilla’ is automatically better than most records, and it’s not even my favourite song on the seven-inch. I once alphabetized a friend’s enormous seven-inch collection just for a copy of this record. Totally worth it.

Have you noticed a recent shift in the label?

I think the shift is probably more just a recognition that they’ve signed some new acts for the first time in a while, and the diversity of those signees to boot; there’s not a real through-line over the last few releases except for being good. Maybe the concept of a shift is most applicable in regards to their turning an eye towards local communities and drawing from Canada’s underground for the first time in a while.

What do you hope to accomplish with the label?

I don’t have any set goal besides putting the record out, and that’s all taken care of, so I guess I can slack off now? That’s glib. My goal is to keep doing what I’ve been doing — tour, put out records, drag my friends along with me — and with Mint we can do that on a larger scale, or at least on the same scale but way better. I have not gone a week since we signed where I haven’t had Mint blow my mind. We’re months away from the album coming out and the excitement over the LP is already greater than I could muster at our release show if we went it alone.