The Jasmine Minks - We Make Our Own History (2023)

Watch out world – the Jasmine Minks are back, urgent and resurgent, all tooled up and ready to rage against the machine with a barrage of life, love and poetry!

Released in partnership by the twin hipster flash mob of Last Night From Glasgow and Spinout Nuggets, We Make Our Own History is the Creation Records legends' first studio album since Popartglory in 2001.

Sure, they’re older and maybe a bit wiser. But anyone familiar with the Minks’ catalogue will immediately recognise the classic songwriting, the timeless guitar pop, the punk-mod attack – always shot through with a rich emotional intensity.

In truth they’ve never really been away, having played the occasional show in the last couple of decades, while last year lead man Jim Shepherd finally released his first solo LP to great acclaim.

Possessed of what is surely one of the indie world’s most soulful voices, Shepherd is now back with his boys, and the new album is closer in spirit to the Minks’ much loved debut full-length LP (known to fans as the ‘Blue Album’) than anything else they’ve ever done. Although Adam Sanderson is not in the band at the moment, this is still the Jasmine Minks of old with Tom Reid taking a much more upfront role in vocals with his sonorous baritone while stalwarts Wattie Duncan and Martin Keena supply supreme Minkness. With The Television Personalities’ Dave Musker back in the fold and longtime associate Chris Narayan adding fuel to the fire, the mature Minks sound as full of energy as they did when they were in their teens.

This is the Jasmine Minks of ‘Cold Heart’, of ‘Where The Traffic Goes’ or ‘Cut Me Deep’. It’s powerful, psychedelic in parts, passionate and poppy. Pure Jasmine Minks, in other words, and an album to be cherished.

Recorded with their old sparring partner Pat Collier, We Make Our Own History is available now for pre-order. Look out for a couple of singles before a planned November release date for the vinyl.

- Nick Godfrey, Precious Recordings of London

The Jasmine Minks formed in Aberdeen in 1983. They were quickly recruited by Alan McGee and signed to Creation Records - their early singles were among the first released by the legendary label. Their self-titled debut was released in 1986 but the band dissolved following their third LP in 1989.

They reunited in 2000 and released two albums: Veritas (2000) and Popartglory (2001). A string of singles and EPs followed as well as a 2014 compilation LP, but upcoming album We Make Our Own History is the band's first full length studio album of new material in 22 years.

“The Jasmine Minks were the first real Creation band – their single ‘Think!’ was the fourth single we put out. An amazing unknown gem of a band. Working-class heroes – to me, anyway.” Alan McGee