Mindfullness is Australian shoegaze quartet
Flyying Colours' full-length debut following two EPs,
Flyying Colours and
ROYGBIV. As with the band's first two releases, this album continues to showcase their winning blend of heavy, swirling guitars, driving rhythms, and distant male/female blended vocals. They haven't changed their sound one iota, and there's absolutely no reason for them to; they've got it down pat. While the band inevitably brings to mind numerous British bands from the late '80s and early '90s (
Ride,
Chapterhouse,
the Jesus & Mary Chain, et al), they sound like they would feel right at home among Austin's gargantuan psych-rock scene. Their songs have heavy grooves and they branch out into scorching guitar solos sometimes, but they keep things grounded and focused rather than drifting off into wankery. The band definitely seem far more interested in writing pop songs than jamming for all eternity, and songs like "1987" are brisk and summery, but not too sweet and sugary. Other songs are more hushed and subdued, but not to the point where it feels like the band is dozing off. A song with the tell-tale title "Mellow" is significantly cooled down compared to the rest, with a glacial guitar glide smoothing out the song's midtempo but still insistent rhythm. "Roygbiv" (unrelated to the band's previous EP, and not a
Boards of Canada cover) starts off with a similar sort of space rock drift and submerged, subliminal voices before locking into heavy, crushing guitars during the song's bridge. It sounds like it could've been released on Kranky at some point during the mid-'90s.
Flyying Colours pretty much get everything right on this album, as they did on their first two EPs, so it should appeal to fans of those, or shoegaze in general. ~ Paul Simpson