Minke Puts A Pop Spin On Rhythm & Blues In Latest EP "The Tearoom"

Written by ∆³

Minke whales are notorious for being variably smaller than most other known species of whales, while also producing vociferous audibles to all in sync with its vibrations; synchronistically. Minke the singer, via her latest EP release “The Tearoom”, has sonically sophisticated an Alternative Indie sound of her own free from the perceptual constraints of the higher budgeted major record labels and her initial Blues branded genre upbringing.

On take off Minke’s “The Tearoom” formulates like a moving musical trip that’s digitally decoded with strung pickups that are punctiliously propitiated. Meticulously intended or not, one ladled listen to “The Tearoom” surely abets another.

“When I listened back to the EP, I didn’t realize how much I was writing about relationships and men—as well as just being heartbroken,” says Minke. “To me, the word ‘Tearoom’ looked like ‘Tear Room’. There are many angles to it. It speaks to the sadness. I’m also British, so the name works on that level.”

26 year old Minke initially began recording as an 18 year old Blues Rock act who signed to a major record label under her organic title, Leah Mason. It appears from interviews that she didn’t creatively fit in within the confinements of the genre which happens way more than you may realize.

This Billie Ellish, Charli XCX, and St. Vincent inspired songstress shouldered her storm of feelings stifled to shape sounds and seemingly sidestepped into the cultivation of a joint generated project EP that would soon become the artist we now know as Minke.

The first released single from “The Tearoom”, ‘Gold Angel,’ has been humbly successful with receiving over 8 million listens on Spotify with no major label promotions. The “The Tearoom” singer sources the group marriage of the Internet, social media, with the recording industry to the savior-fairic fortitude now favoring her success. She says, “The internet brings…the opportunity for an alternative rise for an artist without the need for huge record contracts and savage distribution deals,”while touting that when it comes to social media, “we’re all brainwashed.” Minke’s “The Tearoom” can be streamed on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and more.

“The Tearoom”, which Minke says also doubles as “Tear-room”(a metaphor for pain & sadness), is overwhelmingly amorously lamented, conclusive to the reality that Minke captivatingly and courageously co-produced and wrote the project with a friend after not one, but two break ups. In her own words “There are many angles to it. It speaks to the sadness”. “The EP is 7 tracks in length with the 4 songs, “Gold Angel”, “Maybe 25”, “Something Better”, and “Too Late” already released along with showcasing 3 more unreleased tracks. Lyrics like “Something Better”’s “I don’t believe anything if I don’t see it, / But I don’t feel alone, Running off energy if I can feel it, / It’s all I need to know..” to “Maybe 25′”s “Cause I cannot wait no longer, to know, / Not getting any younger, I know, / So, gimme highs, gimme lows, / Gimme the night and maybe I”ll (Give you just a little bit more)” reveal just how poised yet pointed Minke’s writing on “The Tearoom” truly is.

“Songwriting is my therapy. It’s what I’ve done since I first picked up a guitar when I was eleven. It’s the only thing that makes me feel better, so it’s what I do,” says Minke. “When people listen to the Tearoom, I hope they get whatever they need from it. It could be reassurance or someone to identify with. That’s what makes me happy. It’s all I can do.”

Overall “The Tearoom” vehemences with an 80’s type of nuance from its inoculation to its close, yet there’s a lot more to be celebrated on “The Tearoom” besides its genre-enriched will. There’s an awareness within Minke’s essence on “The Tearoom” that comprises an almost ageless array of musical aptitudes; you can sense the 80’s in “The Tearoom”‘s production while it’s daintily dabbled with true timed Rhythm & Blues. Also, you credit either sound production or an old soul that reached out for more than what was bargained for, for the extensive feel of “The Tearoom”.

Somehow, there’s something ethereal that laces “The Tearoom” that lifts Minke’s downs toward an overall uplifting listening experience. It’s truly cool to not just hear Minke’s “The Tearoom”, but to experience it. For me it reveals the truth that signing to a record label doesn’t have to drain an artist’s talent and creative ingenuity. Minke’s musical expression, modes of relations, and the moods being motioned on “The Tearoom” magma quite magically. Make it a point to meshingly erupt both your mind and ears into the experience of Minke’s “The Tearoom.”

Listen To “The Tearoom”