| Photo Credit: Joel Barrios | | | | Inspired by McStine’s reflection on The Beatles’ Rubber Soul, particularly its iconic album cover, “Green” delves into the uncertainty of pivotal moments in life. The distorted image of the band on the cover sparked McStine’s thoughts on transitions and the unknown.“I thought about that time as a turning point for them [The Beatles] where they were, and where they were heading. Taking them [The Beatles] out of the equation, the themes can be applied universally. It started as a solo acoustic guitar and vocal piece first, but I wanted to build it into a giant arrangement by the end.” [Listen + Watch]. | | While McStine will spend much of 2025 on the road with Porcupine Tree founder Steven Wilson and Minnemann will be touring with The Aristocrats, the duo will continue to focus on their work together, as well as both remaining in high demand as session players and sidemen. | | Since forming in 2020, McStine & Minnemann have built a reputation for pushing musical boundaries, blending the duo’s virtuosic musicianship with compelling melodies and lyrical depth. The pair’s perennial influences of Queen, Frank Zappa, and The Police meet a mutual love for XTC, PiL, and Gary Numan on III, as well as more contemplative, overtly melodic singer-songwriter stimuli like Brian Wilson and Tim Buckley. These ostensibly incongruous elements are bound by McStine’s emotive vocals and Minnemann’s rhythmic sense of adventure, their virtuosic musicality connecting through impassioned performances that infuse the duo’s breathtaking technical prowess with resonant humanity. | | McStine & Minnemann embroiders their highly evolved musicality with new wave, singer-songwriter, and ambient elements to spawn something all its own. “It’s such an open-ended canvas,” mulled Randy. “We can become a thrash metal band for five seconds and then move on to spaghetti western or something. On paper, it might sound like it can’t work, but when you hear it, it does.” | | Recorded with both artists handling all instruments, III explores dynamic shifts between high-energy prog rock and melodic introspection, offering an intense, cohesive listening experience. Minnemann adds, “There’s an intensity and energy exchange not found on the first two albums. It throws you overboard a few times and holds your attention, you want to keep listening.” |
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