MINERVA SYSTEM is a fractured yet symbiotically tight collective, threading their diverse life strands into the dense fabric of their latest single, ‘Undermind’. With members scattered from London to Devon, from St. Petersburg to the indeterminate coordinates of their drummer, the online outfit crafts sonic installations that are as expansive as their geographical spread.
‘Undermind’ is a descent into the ethereal, echoing the otherworldly aura of Bjork with an execution that plays havoc with rhythmic pulses. MINERVA SYSTEM manipulates time signatures with trip-hop precision while maintaining a mellifluous melodicism that binds the chaos into coherence. Discernibly, few artists know how to create equilibriums of sonic serenity and visceral intensity as adeptly as MINERVA SYSTEM with their skill in soaking sounds with raw emotion.
As the track progresses, it metamorphoses; midway, it shifts gears into a 90s-alt-rock-tinged crescendo that wouldn’t be amiss in a Garbage tracklist. This crescendo is a stark, gritty counterpoint to the track’s smoother beginnings, illustrating the band’s versatile command over their sound palette.
If they continue to produce hits in the same vein as Undermind, their rise from the underground is inevitable. They’ve clearly mastered the dark art of sonic scintilaltion; watch this space.
Stream Undermind on SoundCloud now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast