Mandy, Indiana is the experimental project of Scott Fair, Valentine Caulfield and Liam Stewart (who has previously toured with Lonelady). Intentionally raw production from Fair combined with a heady interest in the more macabre elements of literature and film (the band cites the work of filmmakers and writers such as Gaspar Noe, Leos Caraz and Irvine Welsh as inspiration) come together to present a vision that skews the lines between post punk and the rave. True to the grit of Northern England, Caulfield’s vocals in her native French contribute an immersive layer of performance art and poetry that bring the spirit of the avant garde to life. Slipping in and out of the abrasive qualities of noise, industrial and techno, their music recalls essential live acts such as Giant Swan and Minimal Violence as well as the unconventional guitar work of Girl Band and Housewives. Mandy Indiana’s debut EP documents where they’ve been, where they are now, and where they’re going. The aforementioned Nike of Samothrace and Alien 3 appear – Daniel Avery also pops up to accentuate the previously hidden portentous drones of the latter in a remix – while there is also new track Bottle Episode, which strips the group’s sound right back to its sinew without losing any urgency. Its mix of quiet and loud sections with taut programmed beats catches the band’s scuzzier guitar influences and more club-orientated leanings in its crosshairs perfectly. Tracks were recorded in a variety of spaces, from rehearsal rooms and home studios to cavernous old industrial mills, halls and other buildings. You can hear it in the recordings: the clattering footsteps, muffled piano and chatter at the end of Bottle Episode were taken from the hall outside their room, for instance, while other sounds like the dripping of a toilet, a buzzing fluorescent light and the rhythm of a passing train have also found their way into the recordings. “We didn’t really know how the spaces would sound until we actually arrived and started recording and by then it was too late to go ‘oh well this doesn’t work’” Fair says. “But there’s something liberating about embracing the randomness, We could return to them again and it would sound completely different. It’s great to have this moment in time recorded.”
