Mandy, Indiana’s emergence last year seemed sudden. Based in Manchester – a city where the speed of word of mouth means new bands rarely remain unknown for long – the outfit’s brutally abrasive post-punk noire has forcefully grabbed attention in a way that feels as if it’s come from nowhere.
Formed by Scott Fair (guitar/production) and Valentine Caulfield (vocals/lyrics), the band have signed to Fire Talk, attracted media coverage from the The Fader, Brooklyn Vegan, The Quietus and gained fans amongst the likes of Daniel Avery, Girl Band and Scalping. Their music to-date ranges from the warping techno of six-minute stomper Alien 3, to the likes of hallucinogenics-gone-dark industrial noise of Nike of Samothrace.
Mandy Indiana’s debut EP documents where they’ve been, where they are now, and where they’re going. The aforementioned Nike of Samothrace and Alien 3 appear – Daniel Avery also pops up to accentuate the previously hidden portentous drones of the latter in a remix – while there is also new track Bottle Episode, which strips the group’s sound right back to its sinew without losing any urgency. Its mix of quiet and loud sections with taut programmed beats catches the band’s scuzzier guitar influences and more club-orientated leanings in its crosshairs perfectly.