Screens is the third and final studio album from Auckland-based "troublegum" group The Mint Chicks and thus far the only Mint Chicks release not to feature bassist Michael Logie. It was released on March 16, 2009 in New Zealand,[2] The Mint Chicks' homeland on Flying Nun Records.[3] It was mixed in Portland, Oregon by the Nielson brothers and Jacob Portrait, with additional mixing by Chris Nielson in Auckland, New Zealand.
| Screens | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 March 2009 (New Zealand) | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, power pop, No Wave, Noise pop | |||
| Length | 29:53 | |||
| Label | Flying Nun | |||
| The Mint Chicks chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Screens | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Polaroids of Androids |  [1] |
| Real Groove Magazine |  (2009) |
The album's first single was "I Can't Stop Being Foolish". Sam Peacocke, the New Zealand music award winning director responsible for the band's videos for "Walking Off a Cliff Again" and "Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!" filmed a new video for the single, which hit number 1 on the bFM chart on February 4, 2009 and stayed at this position for 2 weeks.
On December 25, 2008, an EP called Mintunes was offered for free download on The Mint Chicks' website including 8-bit versions of four songs to appear on Screens, including the then-unreleased "Red, White or Blue" and "Screens".
On December 20, 2008, a video for "Enemies" made by band member Ruban Neilson appeared on The Mint Chicks' website, YouTube and Vimeo.[4] On January 1, 2009, a similar video for the track "Life Will Get Better Some Day" created by Kody Neilson was released on YouTube.[5]
On February 20, 2009, New Zealand on Air released a list of songs granted funding for a video, among which was The Mint Chicks' track "Don't Sell Your Brain Out, Baby".[6] The song was added by bFM on May 4, 2009 and went to number one on the bFM top ten on May 6, the fifth bFM number-one from Screens.
Track listing
edit- "Red, White or Blue" – 3:53
- "2010" – 2:37
- "Hot on Your Heels" – 2:00
- "Don't Sell Your Brain Out, Baby" – 2:06
- "I Can't Stop Being Foolish" – 2:45
- "What a Way" – 3:30
- "Screens" – 2:30
- "Sweet Janine" – 2:36 (feat. Finn Andrews from The Veils)
- "Telephone" – 1:49
- "Enemies" – 2:52
- "Life Will Get Better Some Day" – 3:18
- "Dying Is for Suckers and Old People" (iTunes pre-order bonus) – 1:15
Awards for Screens
edit| Award | Awarded at | Other contenders in category |
|---|---|---|
| Best Album Cover (designed by Ruban Nielson) | New Zealand Music Awards '09 | Midnight Youth (The Brave Don't Run, designed by Sam Yong) Fat Freddy's Drop (Dr Boondigga & The Big BW, designed by Otis Frizzell) |
References
edit- ^ Polaroids of Androids review
- ^ February 6, 2009 Twitter update
- ^ November 16, 2008 The Mint Chicks' Myspace Myspace. Accessed November 16, 2008.
- ^ December 20, 2008 Enemies video on YouTube
- ^ January 1, 2009 Life Will Get Better..." video on YouTube
- ^ February 20, 2009 NZOA Board Meeting