Album Review: Make Up

I knew I was in for a treat when Auckland based blues rock band Mini Simmons came into my orbit. The band with a moody 70’s vibe have recently released their latest album Make Up. They have a sound which transports you back through the years in a classic rock time machine whilst retaining a fresh original sound infused with smooth blues guitar and an air of the Rolling Stones.

Starting out in 2017, Mini Simmons was dreamed up on the Pacific highways of Mexico. Fast forward through the years and it’s obvious they have established themselves as one of New Zealand’s premier live acts supporting acts such as The Darkness, carving a path through the NZ music festival scene and selling out gigs with their original material.

The band’s debut self-titled album released back in 2019 gained critical acclaim internationally and was the first to be pressed to vinyl in NZ for over 30 years. First pressing of 150 copies selling out in under a week.

That’s a bit of backstory in a nutshell, now on with the show.

From the onset Push And Pull captured me with mellow vocals and cool guitar, the structure of the song was fresh and set the tone for what is an impressive album.

Gin With No Tonic is first class with smooth harmony on the chorus and absorbing story telling. Mini Simmons have a way of making you feel good just by really hearing their music.

Railroad For Two delivers a good blues sound and beautiful combining of vocals with the instrumentals. This band has a knack of combining the different instruments to create a full sound loaded with lush retro vibes.

Gimmie Back My Guitar comes in strong with the almost obligatory cowbell. A bluesy classic rock track steeped in a 70’s feel good sound which transports you back in time whilst simultaneously propelling you into the here and now with finely tuned composition and dynamic fresh lyrics.

Make Up is very easy to listen to, it is genuine unpretentious blues soaked classic rock.

These guys are riding the wave with style and have delivered yet another solid offering with this album.

Make Up was primarily recorded and mixed by Paddy Hill at Roundhead with the exception of two previously released singles, Push And Pull recorded and mixed by Brad Craig at 220 and Railroad For Two recorded at The Lab with Jol Mulholland. Mastering on this album was done by Chris Chetland at KOG Studio.