Album Review: Mindless Excess - 'Cross My Heart'

Local Sydney boys Mindless Excess have an intriguingly large following for a couple of pop punk upstarts from nowhere far. Their dedicated fanbase is only just the start of it, though. New EP, ’Cross My Heart’ certainly drives the point that these boys are worthy of a scope.

The EP is mainly pop punk focused, as introduced on opener, ‘Less of Me’, which is a straight shooter in terms of the genre and its more self-deprecating aspects. The song structure of each track is of key importance in exhibiting the potential of this outfit, hinting that they’d be able to craft an album as intricate as they seem to be aiming for with the right tools.

What makes Mindless Excess’s EP stand out is that its focus extends beyond a single genre, however. Instead, different tracks flesh out components of the sound the band is pursuing and the sound that they’ve been influenced by. Sure, ‘By the Moon’ is a soft, cute, and admirably cheesy nod to All Time Low. But ‘Red Lights’ mutates the Mindless Excess sound into an animal that’s largely classic rock and marginally poppy. The unexpected and unconventional guitars that hail it in are a sign of Mindless Excess’s capacity to branch out, unveiling influences outside pop punk’s microcosmic scene. While it fits oddly into the EP, its shining aspect is its gang vocals, a highlight of the release. Being the sort of band that connects closely with fans, the gang vocals add a dimension of warmth that makes that sense of interaction particularly potent.

Furthermore, pop rock waves are ridden out on ‘They’ll Never Know’, which has a catchy beat and extremely enjoyable rises and falls. The EP’s closer, ‘Right Here’, is a sugar sweet acoustic track aligning with the standard that you cement at least one on most releases. This song will make you ‘aww’, and then glance over your shoulder to check no one saw.

Mindless Excess are well and truly on their way up, with the band gaining noticeable traction in the local scene right now. There’s a reason that people are paying attention.

1. Less Of Me

2. By The Moon

3. Red Lights

4. They'll Never Know

5. Right Here