Minor Plains – Tortuga (2014)

Listeners beware: Tortuga is a huge, lumbering leviathan, emerged from the waves to destroy your village and eat your sheep. On their debut, Washington’s Minor Plains lead the listener through a fantastical tale of jubilant grooves, rumbling bass lines, breakdowns and giant tortoises, never stopping long enough for it to get stale.

The first thing to note about this EP is that it is meaty. At just over 40 minutes in length, Minor Plains clearly believe in their product and I have to admit their self-confidence is entirely warranted. Technical skill and songwriting prowess ooze from every track, from the climactic journey of ‘Glacial Echoes’ to the chaotic tempest of drumming and guitars appropriately called ‘Rainmaker’. I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again, for a ten minute song to hold my interest takes some doing, but Minor Planes pull it off with ease.

My greatest compliment for Minor Plains is that they’ve succeeded in producing a record which feels super-heavy while not being overly abrasive. Tortuga is, at the end of the day, incredibly listenable despite it’s sheer power and volume, with grooves that had me dancing in my chair from the second they kicked in. They do a great job of injecting some mathy sunshine and energy into the gloomy sound of post-hardcore.