Denver, Colorado based indie-rock outfit Mainland Break have returned with bittersweet jangle pop anthem ‘Promises’ – and have announced an 8-date tour of Australia in support of the track.
Hot off the back of their debut LP, One Way Ticket To Midnight released back in July of last year, the band have produced another slice of jangly, indie goodness on their latest cut ‘Promises’. Driven by a pulsing, Joy Division-esque bass line that lays the perfect groundwork for the bright, shimmering guitar leads scattered across the track, ‘Promises’ builds continuously throughout its runtime, with vocalist Evan Oliver’s contemplative performance soaring across and pushing the band as they build to a cathartic crescendo. Thematically, the track looks at the fallout of a relationship, and the drive to remain positive in its wake.
The track is certainly not short of impressive personnel – recorded by Mark Anderson at Cowboy Cowabunga Recordings in Colorado (John Oates, Nathaniel Rateliff), mixed by Joey Oaxaca (White Reaper, Starchild, twen, Mamalarky) and mastered by Dave Cooley for Elysian Masters (DIIV, M83), the track was initially recorded during the One Way Ticket To Midnight sessions, however the band felt it worked better as a solo piece.
‘Promises’ arrives accompanied by a music video, shot across Denver and featuring frontman Evan in vast, empty spaces, echoing the themes of the track perfectly; reflecting on the loneliness one can feel when departing a relationship.
As bands such as Floodlights, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and RVG continue to dominate in the Australian indie scene, it’s no wonder Mainland Break are hedging their bets and coming downunder – the blend of post-punk and pub-rock sounds found on ‘Promises’ make it feel like something straight out of the Melbourne indie scene. This is no coincidence – the band have been long time followers of the scene in Australia, and as they hit cities across the country in February 2024, they hope to immerse themselves in the scene they have admired from afar.