by Kris Handel
A Healthy Future on Earth is the sophomore full length from Australian post-punk/shoegaze trio Miners, fronted by Blake Clee and featuring friends Nick Johnson (Mope City, Shrapnel) and Wilson Harris. This record is full of sharp guitar hooks and a trembly sense of nervousness for the outer world that is in constant flux around them. Clee's songwriting has a subtle strength and nerve to it which matches ever so well with the tenuous grasp of the anxieties and trepidation that is apparent in the lyrics. Miners feature tightly strung guitar lines with a wide-view of shoegaze atmospherics and swooping basslines anchoring a steady rhythm section, allowing for a sonic environment full of strong and melodic exploration.
"Game Theory" is Miners at their most anxious as Clee's guitar strums rapidly over galloping drums from Harris and vocals that are jumpy and somewhat insecure. They’re showing their limber post-punk strength as the driving atmosphere tugs away at its spindly environs, almost completely unraveling without fully collapsing in a show of sinewy muscle. "Wasn't Yr Eyes" shows off the louder spacier side of Miners as guitars drop ringing shards over slower bass that’s deeply heavy while Clee's vocals recede into a languorous drone. They find new ways to improve the space-rock vibe as tight guitar leads snakily coil throughout and the play with rhythmic structures build and collapse magnificently.
"Why Can't I" features the guest vocals of Maggie Fletcher (MFV) combined with an explosively gauzey instrumental accompaniment. Her vocals are drenched in reverb as Clee's guitars shimmer above them before detonating into bursts of distortion while Johnson’s bass and Harris' drums lay down an incredibly solid foundation. "Fade" shows Miners (forgive the pun) mining mid 90's midwestern punk styles with a greater sense of space and time as Clee's vocals strain amidst brittle bursts, combining the more compact moments of a band like Ride with thin and sharp emotional punk outbursts to create a massively intriguing musical stew.
This second album allows Miners to show a denser side without betraying their desire to explode and tread new ground under the shoegaze/space-rock platform. Clee's guitar atmospherics are intoxicating and the recessed and woozy vocals envelope everything around them layering these songs with an unease that capably builds and releases simmering tension. Miners show themselves as a band that offers a fountain of musical depth and musicians who are unafraid to build on their musical forebearers. A Healthy Future on Earth is a record full of songs that are aching to burst from the speakers of anyone that makes the smart decision to give this record the appropriate time and attention to receive its bountiful pleasures.