Label Feature #17: Mint Records
By Julia Girdharry
We caught up with Elysse Cloma, Label Manager at Mint Records, to discuss what’s new with this legendary Canadian label.
Mint Records has been a cornerstone of Canadian indie music since 1991. Founded by Randy Iwata and Bill Baker, both alumni of CiTR 101.9 FM – UBC Radio, the label has carved out a niche in discovering new sounds across Canada. From cuddlecore to gritty garage punk, Mint Records has earned a reputation as one of the country’s most open-minded and artist-friendly labels.
Mint Records has had a long history with many moving parts that contributed to its creation. What would you say was the tipping point that truly established Mint Records?
It was the band cub’s success that really established Mint Records, and the spotlight on them happened very early with their 7” releases Hot Dog Day and pep, followed by their debut LP Betti-Cola.
What is the key to discovering good underground acts that fit the Mint Records sound?
We like to sign bands that we’re fans of. For example, we’ve signed a bunch of bands from attending Sled Island and enjoying their shows, like the band knitting who we first heard at the Palomino Smokehouse.
We also have an online submission form for bands to send us their demos and album pitches, and we listen to music that comes across our desks that way too.
Has Mint Records always been interested in producing vinyl records? With the resurgence of vinyl, what changes have you made to cater to this revival?
Mint has been producing vinyl records as long as we’ve been putting out music, and we never stopped. One thing we’re thinking about these days is the environmental impact of making records, and we hope that the resurgence of vinyl can include more options for vinyl recycling, sustainable packaging, and finding ways to restore old, warped vinyl.
What are three past projects that Mint Records is particularly proud of?
Three projects in the recent past that we’re really proud of are Non La’s Like Before, Faith Healer’s The Hand That Fits The Glove, and Nora Kelly Band’s Rodeo Clown.
Non La is a Vancouver-based indie rock band that we were big fans of for awhile before signing them. It was pretty unanimous that the team wanted to sign the band to release their album. They’re great live, and the emotion and strong songwriting comes through on Like Before. The music videos for this project were top-notch, too, though Mint can’t take the credit for that. They were directed by Owen Ellis and Christina Fu!
Before October 2023, it had been a number of years since Faith Healer’s last album, The Hand That Fits The Glove was a long-awaited record that Faith Healer fans waited over 5 years for. The songwriting and production on the record is so special. The details in the songwriting, lyrics, and the arrangements are things that you’ll notice with repeat listens. It’s really a “no-skips” type of album.
Nora Kelly Band’s refreshing twang and unique voice captivated us when we first heard about them and we were excited to sign them to release their debut LP, Rodeo Clown, on Mint! The vinyl turned out really amazing (thanks to Precision), and it’s just an awesome record to put on because it captures the fun and DIY spirit of the band while showing off the range of songs they can write. They’re a promising band that keeps delivering and we highly recommend following what they’re up to!
What are some current or upcoming projects that Mint Records is excited about?
We recently put out Future Star’s record It’s About Time! And it’s exciting because it’s such a great example of when great songwriting and production come together. Future Star is a rare talent and solo artist from the Vancouver music scene that we’ve been following for a long time, and we were excited to sign her when we found out she had a new album in the works. Her record It’s About Time! was produced in collaboration with Andromeda Monk, who is an immensely talented artist in Vancouver that did an amazing job of bringing out the emotional high points of each song. There are a lot of interesting electronic textures on the record, but Future Star’s voice and songwriting still breathes naturally and organically.
Heaven For Real’s latest album Hell’s Logo’s Pink is a recent highlight that we’re excited about. This one is for the merch nerds, because we made a limited run of cassettes and packaged them in rave cases instead of the typical J-Card or O-Card packaging. They look really old school, yet fresh at the same time! The music is fresh too–the band recorded the album in a solar and wood stove-powered studio that would lose power pretty quickly, so the recording process had to be done in a timely manner. Also, the twin brother blood harmonies that Mark and Scott have when they sing together sound amazing and are at their best on this album.
We are currently rolling out an album by the Montreal band knitting, who we’re excited about. They rip their live show and write honest and powerful songs. Their debut release has so many earworms and amazing “guitarmonies,” and the forthcoming album, Some Kind of Heaven, is an amazing evolution of the band’s sound and live set. It’s very grunge-inflected in all the best ways. The song “Spirit Gum” came out with a wonderful music video, and the album comes out on Mint on September 6! The band already has some exciting bookings this summer and there is more to come. Very proud to say that we just watched them play a successful set opening for Cherry Glazerr at Sled Island!
Can you disclose how Nardwuar gathers his information? Is he a very good journalist, or does he have some other means such as FBI connections, as some online speculate?
We are sworn to secrecy! Doot doo!
What is in store for Mint Records for the remainder of 2024?
There’s a lot of activity in the coming months. We’ve got knitting’s album release, Future Star and Non La have some tour plans for western Canada and the US, Miesha and the Spanks are nominated for three Western Canadian Music Awards, and otherwise we’re just making plans for next year!
For more information about Mint Records, please visit mintrecs.com.
