Article by: Geoffrey Cleaver,

Voluntarily listening to is garage-rock jam band is always at the bottom of my to-do list. Normally, garage-rock jam bands are a dime a dozen. In the Pacific Northwest it seems these bands are a penny a dozen! The only thing worse than listening to a garage-rock band play live is suffering through their albums, which consequently are usually made via ProTools!

Thus, I was perplexed as to how I came about volunteering to do a review for a Seattle based band. “Bring On The Strange” is the debut album for a rising four piece rock band called Velcro Mindset. Immediately, my loathing attitude turned to a loving one. The songs are smartly written and backed by musicians who actually know what they are doing! At one point, I was so intrigued by Velcro Mindset, I found myself trying to sing along!

Velcro Mindset boasts twelve addictive tracks pumped with original material. Each song clearly achieves the message, and tone, the band was striving for. Velcro Mindset is definitely not an experimental rock album housed by guys looking to fill the nights of their mundane lives. Velcro Mindset actually has something going for them, Talent! “Bring On The Strange” cleverly possesses many subtleties which makes each re-listen a new experience! I can’t think of any other band today who has this much depth and layering within a debut indie album.

Velcro Mindset slightly mirrors the familiarity of the nineties while referencing their own modern musical concepts. The band is a testament to their heroes of the past while influencing what music will sound like to future generations. Each facet of Velcro Mindset’s inimitable sound is conveyed through pristine pitch vocals, driving drums, parallel yet raw base lines, and unwavering lead guitar licks.

My suggested top tracks for “Bring On The Strange” are Pagerism, Diggit, and Auto Pilot’s Door. These three songs correctly represent the vast catalog of musical references within the album. From catchy pop-like chorus’- to deep, sultry blues- to devastatingly hard, rock your ass off tracks, this album will appeal to any true music coinsure. This album is daring yet familiar, fashionable yet unground, and beautifully written yet infused with dirty, rock n’roll grit.