Mink15 are a loose collection of musicans from the Shropshire/Powys area, who love making music.

Ash voice

Rob lead guitar

Andy music

In April 2012 we released a min-album 'Pebble Beach'.

In 2011 we released our album 'Gone...' which can be purchased from Mink15 Music for a very reasonable price.

Bandcamp  -  On Twitter  -  Soundcloud Page  -   Facebook Page  -  Last.FM

Mink15 – An Introduction

Mink15 were originally an offshoot of Rob and Andy's semi-acoustic duo; Cotterill and Kearns. After struggling to find the right singer for the project Rob moved on to form The Paris Riot Remedy. Some time later, Andy, having about 20 Mink tracks in various stages of completion, introduced the material to singer/songwriter, Ash, who he met through a mutual friend in 2009.

In January 2010, with Ash on board, the early Mink15 track 'Mr. Haze' (a tribute to Isaac Hayes) was transformed into the highly accomplished recording 'Gone... and Back', though this was never released as a single.

The first Mink15 release was ‘Sickening Love’, which was based on a reggae-like cello riff Andy had recorded over a year previously. Ash dusted off an old acoustic number of hers and blended it perfectly to the reggae groove. This tune was finished quickly and was put out as a digital single on iTunes and Emusic. The song received excellent reviews from listeners and went on to be featured on episode 7 of the Pixicast Electronica Podcast (Pixiguts, Palace Network).

The second single 'Moth in my Ear' was accompanied by a quirky video made by and staring Ash (and her cat). After releasing the third single 'Beautiful', Mink15 had found their groove and work on the album was already in motion.

Their sound palette widened as the songs took on rock sounds with 'Birdie and Salvo', disjointed ambience with 'Christmas Beetles' and a Latin feel with 'The Thing'. Perhaps the only thing tying them all together is the down-tempo electronic sound and Ash’s jazzy voice.

For completion of the album, entitled Gone…, Andy took his mini-disc recorder to Shrewsbury bus station in order to capture the right ambience for the background of ‘24’. A dub version of 'Sickening Love' was cooked up as an intro. 'Demolition', one of the early numbers, got a new chorus and the very first Mink15 track, 'Moon Drone', was dug out and brushed up to find a place on the album. ‘Gone…’ was released on 23rd February, 2011.

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Andy: “I'd pretty much given up on the Mink15 tracks, I knew they needed a good singer to bring them to life… then I met Ash. She sent me a couple of her old tracks and I was blown away by her voice. When she first visited my studio with a song she'd written for the Mr. Haze track, I was so happy: it's a great dynamic melody, the lyrics are clever and mysterious. I was concerned that I'd find a great singer who'd come up with rubbish like ‘ooh baby’. Ash does the opposite of that.”

Ash: “After meeting Andy I knew he was really keen to try out another singer for the Mink so decided to give it a go, not expecting it to develop into anything. I wrote ‘Gone... and Back’ (fondly abbreviated to GaB), then Demolition (which was re-hash of an old Callisto lyric). Then one day I was listening to a CD of Mink grooves and was attracted to a weird, short snippet with a reggae beat. I got the idea for the lyric, based on a song I'd written with my guitar. ‘Sickening Love’ virtually wrote itself. The song was complete in about two minutes. I knew straight away it was a hit: So cute and catchy. That's when I decided to give more time to Mink15.”

Andy: “We had a few technical issues: Ash has too wide a dynamic range! The melody of 'Birdie and Salvo' is a perfect illustration of this. The verse starts off quite softly but the chorus was huge and distorted the mic. We tried to record the parts separately but it didn’t work as the song lost its flow.”

Ash: “My biggest regret is not being able to rock it out more on Birdie and Salvo. I originally wrote that song with some proper belting. But it didn’t work in the studio setting so in the end we had to settle for me reining it in. Every time I listen to Birdie and Salvo, I cringe a bit, as the chorus is way too tame. But I am rather proud of the really high notes I sing in that song.”

Andy: “Ash's perfectionism in front of the mic. could be frustrating at times. I think we must have recorded ‘GaB’ something like 40 times. But I knew if the end result was going to be good Ash had to be happy with it.”

Ash: “For me, the best thing about Mink15 has been making music purely for the pleasure of making music. After so many broken promises of recording contracts in the past I just gave up. I never planned a return to singing, as I really didn't think my voice was good enough. Working with Andy has been great because it's given my voice and song writing skills a new lease of life. If anyone else likes what they hear, that's just a bonus.”

Andy: “I'm used to writing my own lyrics and melodies, so the process was a bit unusual for me as I had to tailor the tracks to fit the melodic lines Ash was writing. She would rock up with more or less finished songs, it was then up to me to build the music and mood to fit. It pretty much all worked straight away, musically speaking.

Ash: “Mink15 is one of many musical projects I’ve been involved with. I've written enough material over the years to fill 4 or 5 albums, yet this is the first one that's ever been completed. So I'm immensely pleased about it and thank Andy for his perseverance and flexible nature, not to mention his obvious talent.... and to Rob for his awesome guitar contribution.”

Andy: “Rob was happy to leave us to get on with the album, he was unable to play on some of the newer tracks due to other commitments but he seems really happy with the finished result of ‘Gone...’.”

written by Skinny and Pointy Creations

We're not a band who make a lot of videos, we simply don't have the budget, but when we do you can find them here.

ALBUM REVIEWS

MINK15 – ‘GONE’ – ALBUM REVIEW

Mink15 is Wales-based singer-songwriter Ash Molloy and producer Andy Cotterill, with additional guitar by Rob Kearns. Its lush sound is reminiscent of such atmospheric heavyweights as Portishead, Massive Attack and Sneaker Pimps. It opens with a reggae intro and first track‘Sickening Love’, the first single from the album; spacious, sparse production and replete with glockenspiel and strings. The highlight however is the lyrics, particularly the chorus couplet ‘Sickening love / sick and in love’.

‘Birdie and Salvo’ heralds the first use of the Rhodes piano, using the instrument’s inbuilt tension to build to a powerful rock chorus. Ash has written powerful lyrics too, dealing with drug addiction.‘24’ cranks it up another notch with beautifully atmospheric horns. This song again shows Ash’s lyrical prowess, comparing bus routes to relationships. There are, I suspect, some Sneaker Pimps and Everything But the Girl influences here....

Now with instrumental track ‘Moon Drone’ it all goes a bit psychedelic: chiming Floyd-esque guitars, rumbling bass and tablas create a complex, rich sound. And next, the album really gets into its stride, with ‘The Thing’, the catchiest song in this collection. The backing is deep and rumbling, suggested rather than stated; the howls and echoes give real weight to the sound; and the jazz drums and minimal acoustic strums add detail to this superb song.

Experimental track ‘Christmas Beetle’ provides variation, and the producer gets a chance to shine: a short track with a glitchy intro, synth washes and vocal fragments. Next up,‘Demolition’ and ‘Moth in My Ear’ feature the finest production work on the album, with lush vocal echoes, pristine synth sounds and powerful beats.

The main set of 10 songs closes with the distorted vocals of (partial) title track ‘Gone – and Back’. But there are yet more surprises to follow: two interesting remixes of Sickening Love close the LP.  In a sense they’re bonus tracks, but they add considerably to the depth of the album. Producer Andy can once again do some showing off, first with an excellent dub version mirroring the album intro, then with a stripped-down acoustic mix to finish. The latter showcases just how good the ‘pure’ song is, presented as it is with no production frills.

Mink15 rules!~ Greg Hurst (B Movie Junkies)

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"From the darkly atmospheric opening track "Sickening Love", the album peaks and soars to every emotion. Ash Molloy's voice has a slightly retro, soulful vibe to it as she sings songs of both lost and unrequited love as well as other more unusual subject matters!
The stand out tracks on this wonderfully eclectic album are the deliciously quirky "Moth in my Ear" and the closing track an acoustic version of the opener "Sickening Love". This track, when stripped back, showcases Ash's voice perfectly and gives it a completely different feel.
A sensory treat of an album, highly recommended!!" ~NICCY SMITH

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"The first track, Sickening Love, is a nice opening with good textured effects, nice crisp beats and earthy bass. Vocals clear and good range. Nothing wrong with this little beauty.

Birdie and Salvo: Again nice reverberation effects giving way to a melancholy opening of intriguing vocals. Sparse but excellent use of guitar within the stereo range. A great track on the album so far. Has hints of the new 90s grove but the svelte use of technological expertise suggests contemporary. Fitting grabbing guitar and vocal fadeout.

Beautiful: Excellently arranged with good use of studio effects and vocals, this is a nice chill out tune.

24: Again very clever intriguing lyrics and deft uses of mixing.

Moon Drone: Trucking guitar riffs here and poignant soundscape, always room on an album for a phat little psychedelic toker like this.

Thing: Rewind your mind. Nice intro. Some thought provoking, spine tingling vocals on this. This could quite easily become a wonderful, undiscovered summer secret. j'adore.

Christmas Beetles: Now I like the opening to this, basic but clever use of reverb samples which offers something unique. Drifts into a floaty sunrise of tripped out vocals and starry eyed strings. Good things come in small packages, you may have just pulled this one off.

Moth in my Ear: I heard an earlier iteration of this track and it showed promise. This particular mix hits the spot. Clever vocals and story telling mixed with instruments pulls this one through.

Gone And Back: This shows off the talents of the writing, studio/guitar collaboration and mixing expertise. Great musical depth and competence. It has nearly everything; including an superb guitar track.

All in all, a good solid debut." ~ Ollie Percivall

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" I have to say very impressed. Really like it. Track 11 is amazing. Love her voice. Very Morcheeba esc. Some great little effects and riffs going on. Good work m8"
Mark Lomas - on Facebook

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SINGLE REVIEWS AND MISC
"Beautiful, demonic and a bit muddy" Ollie Percivall - Facebook.com

“ good voice! ” vevioletta68 - Jango.com

"Although you share only two songs here I really love them as they simply make me feel better. Take care all you guys!" MSR ask Prodigal - Myspace.com

"likin the violin/cello, my kind a drum beat, and what a voice.!! good little track me thinks," BASSBOYWONDER - twitter

"“ good sound ”" emmeffe - Jango.com

"“ niceee ”" chad_dahc - jango.com

"i like the love in the air with the techno...... :) " greendayzen - Jango.com

"Original :)" magda_g9 - Jango.com