The Zia Fantasy - Minaxi

 Guys I'm not sure what kind of second-rate music blogger I am, but I have to make a confession here; I have never once in my life heard of the term "shoegaze." But after looking it up whilst listening to the Zia Fantasy EPs by Minaxi, I get it now. Indie-alt rock, with distorted guitars and blurred vocals. Knowing that now, Minaxi fits the bill perfectly. They described themselves to me as shoegaze, and what sort of blogger would I be if I didn't do a little research before writing a post? I have to at least pretend to be professional here.

Also in their description to me, they mentioned a resemblance to The Smashing Pumpkins. And again, this description is spot on. The EP opening track "Full of Love" creates the exact same feeling using very similar techniques as the Pumpkins' hit "Today." Putting these two tracks side by side, it becomes very obvious to listeners that this is where Minaxi has found some of their influence.

It's hard for me to really dig into this one, because the nature of shoegaze (from the brief skimming I did of some online references) is that it all is distorted and blends together. And one of the big things I always talk about in these posts is the mixing. And while I really don't love the mixing on this record, it's clearly a style choice and the artist did it this way on purpose. The two elements, however, that do really work well for me on this EP are the harmonies (another thing I always talk about) and the tone of the guitars. The guitar tone, when combined with the vocals and harmonies, creates an almost hollow feeling in the listener that I can't quite explain. It actually creates a unique amount of depth within a record with a seemingly one-dimensional method of mixing and mastering.

With every song closely resembling the next, this EP almost feels like a single 23-minute song with brief pauses every 4-5 minutes. But that's just the first in the trilogy of EPs. The second opens much different. It feels more unique to me rather than a direct draw from Smashing Pumpkins. What they do here in creating a sonic bridge from the indie alt rock world of the US to that of India is unlike anything I have experienced before, so to call it unique is a drastic understatement. 

The Zia Fantasy EPs - Minaxi

11 - 27 - 2020

Noor

1. Full of Love

2. Sehra

3. Bug

4. Leaving Feeling

5. Yellow Waving

Isra

1. Smile

2. Grace

3. Intezaar

4. B

5. Listen

Luna

1. Theresa

2. Thistle Toe

3. It's Got Me

4. Naina

Favorite Track: Smile

Least Favorite Track: Naina