by Damian Garde
Daily Lobo
For Albuquerque's the Mindy Set, the city provides an ideal setting for its music.
"There's a good scene in terms of listenership," said vocalist Matt Dickens. "And the bands have a good sense of community."
The band, comprised of Dickens, guitarist Dan Previtt, bassist Josh Williams and drummer Jill McArthur, formed in 2001. The Mindy Set brings a British-influenced, indie-pop sound to Albuquerque's music scene, drawing on influences as disparate as the Clash and Pulp.
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The song "New Broadcast," for example, pairs starry keyboards and guitars with ample jangle to craft a fine piece of shoegaze pop. In contrast, "While You Scream" is decidedly more aggressive, offsetting its distorted verses with saccharine choruses. The moody "For Tonight" exists in the area between Blur and the Jam, setting Dickens' subdued vocals over a propulsive rhythm section.
After releasing its debut, A Sugared Mind, through Socyermom Records in 2003, the Mindy Set has amassed a citywide following. As it prepares to release its currently untitled follow-up, the band plays numerous shows around Albuquerque.
Despite its increasing public acceptance, Dickens is aware his band's genre has become fashionable in American culture.
"We're not following these trends. We're just doing what we do and progressing as we progress," he said. "We didn't go like, 'Oh, let's be an indie band now.'"
However, Dickens acknowledges that trends can determine the size of a band's
fanbase - no matter how annoying he finds them.
"I think that for as long as I've been playing music here in Albuquerque, there have been peaks and valleys," he said. "Sometimes you'll see an increase in people, because what you do is fashionable. Sometimes you see a decrease. But we've been lucky enough to have had steady listeners throughout our existence."
While Dickens, a UNM alumnus, reluctantly admits the band could be construed as followers of the ever-changing music climate, he sees the upside in the music being trendy, he said.
In the days before bands like the Shins and Modest Mouse rose to national fame, the Mindy Set had more trouble finding an audience, he said.
"I don't really mind seeing people following this trend," he said. "I'd rather hear indie music on the radio than that alternative crap that
preceded it."
Mindy Set
Saturday
10 p.m.
Burt's Tiki Lounge
All ages
