MINT JULEP, the halcyon, dreamy musical confection of Hollie and Keith Kenniff (aka Goldmind), are to release a new album, In a Deep & Dreamless Sleep, on Western Vinyl on March 19th; and one listen to the gorgeous “Pulse”, the new single, and you’ll see how deliciously apt a title they’ve picked.
Beginning in clicky percussion and backwards masking, the track unfolds into a glimmer of half-remembered vocals from Hollie, pulsing into a heart-melting melody of piano and synth wash which nevertheless has a deeply shoegaze ecstasy in its veins. Really rather lovely.
We’re told that In a Deep & Dreamless Sleep was created slowly over a years-long span that encompassed the recording of 2019’s Stray Fantasies; an album long in the conception, and which sounds deliciously pure.
it follows previous singles, the hazy sunshine strum of “A Rising Sun” and the sweet electropop pulse of “Black Maps” in teasing for the album.
Whereas Stray Fantasies was crystal clear and sharp in its pursuance of a pop aesthetic fresh and sweet as a chalk stream, In a Deep & Dreamless Sleep hazes over delightfully.
“Our previous material tended to be structured largely in a verse/chorus setting,” Keith says, “but these songs are more free flowing and through-composed with a focus on mood and texture.
“A lot of the songs are more stream-of-consciousness than premeditated; we went with first ideas and let them guide the composition rather than planning a definitive road map – which hopefully lends itself to creating a specific and unique emotional connection.
“Time is a valued commodity, but we make it a point to do this together,” says Keith of the working relationship with his wife.
“Mint Julep is a good bonding experience, it’s akin to a date night. Our routine is not structured, but we chip away at it, sometimes in long bursts, sometimes in short windows of opportunity.”
Mint Julep’s In a Deep & Dreamless Sleep will be released by Western Vinyl digitally, on CD and on vinyl on March 19th; you can pre-order your copy here.
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