Album Review: Mini Mansions - Works Every Time

They’ve been described as indie and psychedelic, and Mini Mansions have shown that such genres are definitely their strength in latest EP Works Every Time.

Headlining the new release is their eponymous single, Works Every Time, which could be their trademark song. Using a unique blend of '80s-style music with heavy use of bass and synth, mixed with late ‘90s/early ‘00s vocals (including some truly amazing falsetto in the backup vocals), the whole track has an otherworldly feel.

The band follows through with Midnight In Tokyo, (not to be confused with the 1983 song of the same name by Y&T), with more rapid-fire bass and drums. Their falsetto range is once again spot on, while the main vocals are longer and more calculated, providing a surprisingly soothing and easy-going melody from the normally edgy group.

However, if indie and psychedelic sounds are their main strengths, mainstream rock is definitely their greatest weakness. Their remaining tracks, This Bullet and a cover of A Girl Like You, feel like an attempt from the band to branch out. Unfortunately, they don’t quite pull it off successfully. This could be because of their unwillingness to go all the way; there are still some traces of the band’s recognisable synth and bass beats that don’t mix well with the more ‘normal’ rock they try to emulate. It’s not terrible, but definitely not the same quality as their usual stuff.

Overall if you’re here for Mini Mansions music, they manage to nail their niche perfectly, so any die-hard fan won’t be disappointed. Works Every Time shows that the band is best at what they do.