Mining for Rain began as a folk rock duo in the mid-’90s in Santa Fe, NM. The band broke up at some point and reformed in 2013. They recently released a six-song EP entitled Hot Birds.
I was a teenager in the ’90s and have a pretty vivid recollection of the music that was popular in those days. There were a lot more alternative bands and more bands in general that sounded like a bunch of people playing in a room together. This EP sounds very ’90s although the recordings sound more lo-fi and raw then what you would hear on the radio. The band gets going with “The Girl Upstairs” and it starts with a lone guitar. Its energy quickly shifts with a snare roll and the whole band joins in. The song revolves around a couple strummed major and minor chords, a 4/4 beat and in general was very straightforward power pop. It's familiar sounding yet catchy. Up next is “Puppy Luv!” and it reminded me of a popular ’90s group called Spin Doctors. They continue with “Wendy & Rachel'' and it actually sounded similar to the previous track except more lo-fi for some reason. The band presses on with “Shut Up Instead” and “Hot Bird.” I really liked the more forward moving and surf inspired “Hot Bird.” The highlight was the last song “Zooey” simply because it was catchy and well delivered. It's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the actress Zooey Deschanel which I've actually heard from other bands before. She seems to a bit of a thing among hipsters and indie bands. The music is simple and catchy. They aren’t reinventing the wheel here and I really didn't get the impression that’s their goal. The band really goes hard in the paint with a ’90s alternative/MTV type of vibe which I appreciated. I also got the impression the band was having fun with these songs and not taking themselves too seriously. Overall, this was a solid release that had its moments and a certain demographic probably within my age range (30's and 40's) will appreciate it most but encourage anyone to check it out.
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