Towards the end of 2025, Minot shared a brilliant 7” release featuring two unreleased tracks. It was a short listen, but the coupling of ‘Walls’ and ‘People Pleaser’ created a lo-fi yet fiery listen that acted as an effective primer for anyone unfamiliar with the band’s previous works. A year on, the full length ‘Down & Out At The Thunderbird’ captures just as much fun and fury, proving that Minot’s power isn’t especially diminished when delivered in a longer format.

If anything, the album’s opening track finds the Montana based musicians in even more of a lo-fi mood. ‘Scarecrow’ works around a reedy sounding guitar part, which hammers its way through a timeless sounding garage punk riff, coupling the DIY aesthetic of early American hardcore with an almost rockabilly flair. It might sound a little echoey and certainly won’t appeal to those who crave more of a finished feel, but its the perfect foil for Flora’s slightly yelpy, utterly committed punky vocals, setting a solid tone for the rest of the record to follow. In terms of garage influences and psychobilly anger, the equally short ‘Bottle of Tumz’ ups the ante, making Minot sound really sharp whilst retaining a very strong DIY ethic. Although this track is rather more about the pogo-worthy riffs than any big lyrical hook, in terms of displaying a pure sound and a relentless energy it works very effectively. ‘Taxed Emotions’, meanwhile, values a little more melody. By slowing the tempo, the rhythm guitar taps into more of a classic garage rock riff which is coupled perfectly by a wordless chorus where Alex merely howls, almost vulpine like, and a swirling organ appears to mirror a slight horror theme. This isn’t without humour, since the light horror tones here underscore a number about filing a tax return and the uncertainty/unpleasantness that brings. It isn’t the most exciting Minot tune; there’s a repetitive nature that doesn’t quite sustain the full three minutes as effectively as it should, but for those hoping to find a more accessible entry point into this band’s rough and ready world of sound, it plays an important role within this collection of songs.

Latching onto a bigger sounding garage riff, ‘Dirtbag’ is a scuzzy workout that manages to sound just a litter fuller, thanks to the contrast of amped up Duane Eddy-isms (played as raw as possible) and a few sharper, jangling riffs. With faint echoes of early X blending with the trash aesthetic of Scotland’s Lung Leg, in some ways, this showcases Minot at their most musically direct, but the use of dual male/female vocal gives the performance more depth than before, without detracting too much from their beloved lo-fi approach to almost everything. Despite flaunting a thin drum sound, ‘Marie Thee Queen’ gives the album a highlight with its short, punky attack, where chopping guitar chords lay down a garage punk assault beneath a call and response vocal – again, setting a great male/female duality in place. With the help of an uber trashy riff filling the bridge sections and the lack of gloss beloved by the short lived Awesome Snakes, this is a definite album highlight. That said, its quickly outshone – or at least matched in the enjoyment stakes – by the garage-punk-meets-rockabilly sounds of ‘Gatekeeper’, where reverbed guitars power forth with a great riff, and a farfisa organ adds a great counter melody that makes this all feel as if it’s meant to score a horror themed b-movie. Pure schlock rarely sounded as much fun, and although fans might have heard similar fare from Minot before, this never gets old.

Sticking to what they know best, Minot kick off ‘Route 28’ with a rigid beat courtesy of drummer Noah and a guitar part that takes a late 50s sharpness and redresses it for a punk audience. Featuring one of the album’s stronger vocals, a drawling presence from Alex adds to the retro feel by creating something that is decidedly Cramps-esque. Chances are you’ll come away remembering more about the main riff and thin sounding lead guitar break than any real chorus hook, but in terms of celebrating a niche retro sound, this works well, as does the more accessible ‘Cry, Cry, Cry’ which works more retro garage rock with the addition of a great vocal from Flora. Initially, the opening bars of a guitar solo sharing more of an early Johnny Cash tone comes as a surprise, though given Minot’s love of retro, perhaps it really shouldn’t. It doesn’t quite have the conviction to go the whole hog, however; after a couple of bars, normal service is resumed with a bit more speed and distortion, taking everything back into the realms of angrier garage punk. For lovers of the more Duane Eddy inspired guitar work, it’s likely to be ‘Night Time’ that’ll showcase Minot at their strongest, since a simple riff that’s heavy on the twang drives everything, allowing the band to drop effortlessly into a garage banger that sounds like something from 1962 redressed by the early 80s psychobilly crowd. A shrill organ stokes up the retro brilliance; an instrumental break brings a little more of a punky attack, while another great vocal from Alex shows a love for Lux Interior at his most accessible. Perhaps more than any of this album’s other tracks, a simple hook allows for a more memorable chorus too, making this an ideal number for the first time listener.

Packing twelve tracks into a little over thirty five minutes, ‘Down & Out…’ prioritises an economical, vinyl friendly approach. The best songs are often more about energy and impact than long term memorability, but the approach of hitting their audience with a hard, fast musical assault certainly works for Minot here. For those who felt the band’s earlier releases showed promise, this will certainly appeal. As for other lovers of garage punk fare, as long as you’re not expecting too much gloss or musical perfection, you’ll likely have a blast.

November 2026