Second demo cassette from this anarcho-tinged punk group out of Philly.

Our take: Second tape from this Philadelphia band. We carried their first one, which reminded me of poppy anarcho punk like Crisis or Zounds, but they sound rather different here. My first impression is that the singer’s voice reminds me of Kathleen Hannah; like Hannah, their pipes sound huge and carry big, broad melodies that beg you to sing along. The guitar riffs also remind me of riffy Bikini Kill songs like “I Like Fucking” (or, alternately, riffy Bratmobile songs like “Not in Dog Years”), but despite those two similarities Mint doesn’t sound like a riot grrrl band at all. They sound like a punk band making music without worrying too much about what they sound like, but rather taking riffs and melodies and working them into fully realized songs that someone would want to listen to. By contrast, Mint make it clear how many other bands are way too beholden to their influences, which holds many of them back from developing their voice as effectively as Mint has across their two tapes.