I remember My Minds Mine from way back in 2001 and their split 10" with Head Hits Concrete, then their early non-album discography collection CD 48 Reasons to Leave This Planet. Late last year, the Dutch grinders celebrated their 30th anniversary with the release of Carve in the Holy Flesh on 5" vinyl (100 on red, 200 on black) or cassette (50 copies) through Grindcore for Life (a.k.a. EveryDayHate) and Fast & Furious Records. The EP tears through four crisply-produced tracks of fast-paced grindcore fury in under five minutes, proving that the band hasn't lost an ounce of force over the course of three decades—even the artwork is as vicious as ever! I'm firmly convinced that I need to ensure I go back and grab everything the band has released since their reformation, as these later works just might be their strongest!
Alongside the super quick songs below, find a super quick chat with guitarist Shantia Fardin for a bit of reminiscing on 30 years of My Minds Mine...
I suppose the obvious opening question is how does it feel to look back on My Minds Mine's lengthy timeline of grindcore madness 30 years after those first rehearsals in a Fryske Wâlden barn!?
In fact, it feels quite weird. We did what we were able to at that time and continued this until now. Looking back, these years flew by lightning fast. I was 24 years old back then. The mix of traveling, making friends, recording, and gigs is what keeps us going. For how long? I don't know. [Our vocalist] Rosco will soon be 60, so we let it depend on him, I guess.
What are a few of your favorite standout memories from across the band's history, whether that be related to your assorted travels, bands you were able to share stages with, amusing anecdotes, etc.?
A few highlights could be:
- Japan tour in 2001. Same music, same music fans, but in such a different world/culture. Beautiful, and I hope to repeat it one day.
- Napalm Death tours. We did two small tours with Napalm Death and they were so cool. Napalm Death are awesome dudes to hang out with. I will never forget that one time the club programmer didn't want us to play due to a time limitation, but the Napalm Death guys backed us up and made sure we could play a small set!
I think noteworthy anecdotes are:
Around '98, playing an open-air streetfest where in the middle of the set a man comes up and asks us to stop. A funeral procession is about to pass by. Rosco respectfully agrees and tells the man we just have a few more songs, and after we will quit. He then introduces the next song called "Rot Away"!!!
It's curious that these four tracks were recorded back in 2016, then mixed in 2019. My Minds Mine has issued a handful of releases since reforming in 2014, so was there a particular reason that these recordings were held back for a number of years?
No particular reasons. We had plans with these songs, but when Corona[virus] striked, we shelved them. We thought now would be a good moment to release them as part of our 30 years anniversary.
You've already got a few shows lining up for 2026, so what's the overall status of the band right now? Is there more new material on deck or in the writing stages, etc.?
We indeed have a batch of gigs coming up. First, a small tour with Massgrav, and after that a small tour with Kronol. Besides that, we are about to write a few songs for a split EP with Tools of the Trade. They are awesome.
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Carve in the Holy Flesh is out now on 5" vinyl or cassette. Right now, the only source to purchase online appears to be Discogs. My Minds Mine can be found on Instagram and Facebook.
