The Manchester band Mandy, Indiana don't seem to care what you think. The soundscapes here on their new album, I've Seen a Way, suggest a wonderful disregard for adhereing to genre terms. The material is borderline hypnotic in spots, and oddly beautiful in most others.
Opener "Love Theme (4K VHS)" is like a soundtrack, while "Drag (Crashed)" adds a heavy beat to the lush approach. Vocalist Valentine Caulfield sings in her native French, sometimes with force and sometimes with a bit more delicacy. "Injury Detail", a highlight here for me, melds beats and synth-riffs like mid-period Cabaret Voltaire with a nearly dance-able central rhythm to wonderful effect. Elsewhere, "Peach Fuzz" is sharp and scary, while "Sensitivity Training" is more spacious and still aggressive in approach.
Mandy, Indiana show real gusto in how they make music. They leap over labels with a natural facility for provocation, while showing skills in finding moments that soothe or calm. The juxtaposition of the harsh and the brightly melodic is what powers this record. And it's a fine release overall.
I've Seen a Way by Mandy, Indiana is out now via Fire Talk.
[Photo: Cal Moores]