LA-based indie rock band Mineral King recently released their introspective EP, Variations. The three-track project touches on the complexities of life, exploring themes of perseverance, monotony, and the rewards of pushing through challenges. We wanted to know what five songs most inspire and connect with Mineral King.
Pinegrove - Moment
This is one of my favorite songs by one of my absolute favorite bands. It’s so complex but so approachable. The lyrics move back and forth from vague gestures towards a feeling of confusion to very tight storytelling in a way that reminds me of beat poetry. This whole album is so good, but this is the one I scream along to in the car the most.
(Joe Gets Kicked Out Of School For Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn’t a
Problem) - Car Seat Headrest
Car Seat Headrest makes me feel like I’m 19 again, feeling stuck in the suburbs, with no sense of where my life is going, just on the edge of being tired of partying with my high school friends and the guys I work with at the fast food place. This song especially conveys that feeling of drug-fueled adolescent confusion and rage that I really connect with. And man, when that bridge hits, it’s just so good every time.
Sultans of Ping - Delta Sleep
Delta Sleep is a huge inspiration for us as a band, and this song isn’t honestly super representative of what they do, but it’s the first song on an amazing album, and it sets that album up perfectly. The song is essentially the same line, over and over, and yet it pulls you in and takes you into this world of guitar sounds, vocals, and rhythms that the rest of the album will live in. It would be easy for this song to overstay its welcome and not engage you after the first minute or so, but I have never found it to be that way. It builds up something inside me, and I just have to be screaming at the top of my lungs by the end of it. Delta Sleep is a band known for their complex arrangements, but this song takes “less is more” to a whole new level.
Ordinary Wine - Cataldo
The first thing that hits you is these big fuzzy guitars, and then an acoustic in your right ear, and then we’re straight into the verse. By the 40-second mark, you’re through a chorus and into the second verse. It’s just such succinct, expeditious songwriting, and it's combined with absolutely engrossing mixing and engineering. Being a person that grew up religious and isn’t any longer, I love the sort of matter-of-fact atheism in the lyrics, leading the listener to a conclusion that life just is, and that’s okay. Cataldo takes you through a whole range of emotions and drops you off nicely in under two minutes, and it’s honestly just remarkable.
2112 - Rush
No Mineral King song list would be complete without some Rush, and I went for the obvious choice. 2112 showed me how cool music could be. It’s the first song I ever cried to. It’s sci-fi, and 70s, and so, so long, but it’s worth every second. I am not exaggerating when I say that this song shaped my brain.
Don't forget to check out Variations, which is out now across platforms.