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Feb 11, 201180The sound is focused, thick, lovely.
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Feb 8, 201180They stand out because they combine some very familiar elements with more style and grace than their peers. [Feb 2011, p.94]
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Feb 4, 201180A passive 12 song set that toes the line between nostalgic sadness and bright optimism with remarkable ease.
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Feb 4, 201180It is explorative, enchanting, wide-reaching, and so hopeful it ignites a tender pain all its own.
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Feb 4, 201180Minks leave listeners wanting more on By the Hedge, a debut that sounds timeless and surprising.
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Feb 4, 201180His vision of the album is similarly relational, and this debut brims with variety and skill, coming off with a complex personality at turns exuberantly earnest, darkly melancholy, and dreamily coy.
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Feb 4, 201176Minks' devotion to mood and texture may seem redolent of My Bloody Valentine's foggy experiments, but By The Hedge isn't nearly as sonically challenging or heady as Kevin Shields's work. No, Minks have more modest goals as it turns out, their greatest inspiration comes not from the music of others but rather from within.
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Feb 4, 201171Minks adapt the style that the Clientele matured into over their recent full-lengths, which adds a foreboding touch to these love-and-regret-focused songs.
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Feb 23, 201170Luckily, the songwriting on Minks' debut hits far more frequently than it misses. It's a solid establishment of a noteworthy sound--the proverbial "encouraging first album."
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Feb 4, 201170Yeah, Minks has churned out an enjoyable full-length debut, but there's an ever-present possibility that it'll get lost in the mess--much like the standout moments on By the Hedge, there's always a haziness enveloping everything like a dense fog.
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Feb 4, 201170There are some real pop gems on here, especially if you're fond of The Cure and their ilk. Maybe it's just me not getting that soupy gloom that seems to be out there for everyone else.
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Feb 4, 201163Minks floats along like a Sofia Coppola movie - delicate and listless, topped with a glossy and charming overcoat, but lacking in substance.
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Mar 28, 201160In the end, By the Hedge is the work of a band trying to discover itself: Maybe Minks aren't quite sure who they are or where they're going yet, but at least their solid first effort suggests there's more than enough reason to keep following them to find out what'll happen with them.
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Mar 9, 201160The urbane vibe exuded during their stellar live shows is stunning. Unfortunately they don't completely lasso that divine alchemy here. [Feb 2011, p.73]
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Feb 4, 201160In summary then, better than most if you like that sort of thing.