Play 90 second soundbite of 'Retreat' @ 'CD quality'
Mynas once again keep it all very grounded and beautifully real. There's a feeling of familiarly unfamiliar about Mynas' work; nothing totally new or adventurous but loads of easy-on-the-ear rockin' pop with definite indie undercurrents and a big dose of catchability! All the right ingredients for pop success are there in Mynas' work - exposure and a bit of good fortune could take Mynas to the next level and 'Retreat' could be the 'carrier' of that success.
'Retreat', and its smaller 'brothers', 'The Only Friend You Need' and 'Masons', more than compensates for its lack of 'envelope pushing' by its pop sensibility and likeable friendliness. Mynas' sound is quite understated by today's standards; the guys let the songs do the talking and rely on well proportioned instrumentation rather than over-dub over-kill. The noble bass of Chris Scarfe combines superbly with the strident beats of Steve 'Agga' Booth's drumming and together they shuffle and grind the artistic backdrop for Del Scott Miller to lay down his florid guitars over which he 'croons' with Weller-esque eloquence and confidence. The overall result is somewhat relaxed, pleasantly rewarding and cleverly hooky rather than in-yer-face, mundane and obvious - a nice change from much of the current alt/indie scene methinks!
Pretty well recorded and nicely accessible, 'Retreat' certainly gets the job done although I can't help but feel that it's just a little short on interesting or unusual dynamics occasionally. That said, there's nowt at all wrong with how this has been assembled; the low-key but catchy approach seems to be very much what Mynas are going for and in that respect they've pretty much nailed it. Mynas aren't yer average indie outfit; Mynas write great songs and perform them with solidarity and finesse rather than going for the big treatment, 'shock and awe', tactics. Mynas lay down tasty, radio-friendly grooves and remain mindful of instrumental separation and user-friendliness and by maintaining their 'cool' they sit somewhat removed from the over-done indie 'norm'.
'Retreat' by Mynas shows that indie and/or alt rock still has much to offer and together this intrepid trio combine as one to dish out their meaty, beaty wares with relish and gusto. Good work this; cool grooves and a positive, workmanlike release, a real 'grower' and one to watch out for!
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