A Series Of Small Explosions: A Brief Review Of The New Album From Mandy (Miranda Winters Of Melkbelly)

It's been a few years since I engaged with the music of Melkbelly and I was always pleased with the way the band melded past influences into something contemporary. I'm happy to report that Miranda Winters from the band is back with a new album as Mandy.

Lawn Girl is full of catchy numbers that wouldn't have entirely sounded out of place on college radio in the Nineties. "Forsythia" shares a title with a Veruca Salt song and it kind of sounds like Veruca Salt, as does the excellent "High School Boyfriend". Winters has a marvelous knack for making the familiar feel new again, and a good deal of that is down to how catchy this material is, and how much it frankly rocks. "A Series of Small Explosions", a real highlight here on Lawn Girl, follows The Breeders' template to perfection, and imbues the same with a real sense of chaos. Lilting vocals and churning guitars are always a recipe for success to these ears, and Mandy has served up plenty of that here on Lawn Girl.

Lawn Girl by Mandy is out now via Exploding in Sound Records.

[Photo: Sarah Joyce]