Mise En Scene make a splash in indie scene

Mise en scene is a French phrase referring to everything contained in the frame of a film or on the stage of a play. All the visual components, down to the actors themselves, are considered the mise en scene. If Mise an Scene‘s Drive-Thru Confessional record were a film, the costumes would be rhinestone vests, brightly colored leather boots, and sequin stetson hats.

The third album by Winnipeg natives, Mise En Scene, is a comfortable blend of dream-pop and alt-country, creating images of disco-ready cowboys and motley, clothed long-haul truckers. This is a departure from the grungier feel of their previous albums. The change in their sound doesn’t feel like an abandonment but rather an evolution as they allow their influences to grow and their methods for expression develop. Lending to the alt-country feel of the album is the location where it was recorded.

Stef Blondal Johnson and Jodi Dunlop convened in a remote cabin in rural Gimli, Manitoba, with long-time friend, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Micah Erenberg (of The Secret Beach) to craft the album from the ground up. The rural setting seeped into the music but didn’t completely override the dream-pop feel that Mise En Scene has made the backbone of their music. They didn’t let go of the garage rock grunge of their past either, letting it mature into an accent for an album that didn’t need distortion at its core. 

Musically, Drive-Thru Confessional forefronts acoustic rhythm guitars, punchy small room drums, jangly guitar riffs(with some slide sprinkled in), and features a distorted lead guitar over the gentler backing track to act as an opposite to the soft reverb-laden vocals. The music is very easy to listen to. The vocals are kind and welcoming regardless of the subject matter, and each song has the familiar embrace of the genres it pulls from. Each layer is very clean except for some drops of reverb added here and there, and the lead guitar, which brings its slight distortion in as a contrast to add subtle layers of complexity to the music.

As a result, the soundscape has this warm roundness to it that can be punctured by the distorted lead guitar and the occasional roughness of the lead vocals. The acoustic guitar is featured heavily, both the music of the guitar itself and the spill of the strumming and the pads of fingers rubbing against the wire strings. This adds to both sides of their musical spectrum. On one side, the soft acoustic sound blends in nicely with the dream-poppy rhythm they build layer by layer. On the other hand, the acoustic guitar also pushes the music further down the alt-country road, bringing to mind songs sung around the campfire, matching perfectly with the notes from the slide guitar. 

Six tracks from the 10-track album have been released already, but the singles, “I confess,” “Leftover,” “Beige Corolla,” and “Days of our Lives,” are 4 of the 5 strongest tracks on the album. “I confess” is a song about confessing feelings to someone close to you, the anxiety of the moment is captured perfectly in the lyrics, and the music is upbeat and crunchy. Stef’s vocals on the track are smooth but carry with them a wave of emotions that aren’t lost in her ethereal style. “Beige Corolla” pushes the country influences forward and lets them play lead. Stef’s vocals again shine in this song as the only track where she really uses her voice as an instrument.

Of the singles, “Leftovers” and “Days of Our Lives” hold the most similarity to their earlier music. Each has a more rock-focused sound, both songs letting the vocals stray away from the clean, unbroken sound to feature more raw emotion. The standout unreleased track is “Super Bowl Sunday”. The track features distorted guitar riffs over a rumbling rhythm section paired with high-tempo guitar chords. An easy song to put on repeat and jam to in any circumstance. This song and “Hollywood Car Crash” both parallel distinctly arduous American experiences (watching the Super Bowl and getting into a car crash in Los Angeles) with dating. The comparisons are witty and enjoyable to hear play out over the tracks. The writing on the album overall is strong, and the lyricism pairs perfectly with Stef Blondal Johnson’s vocals. 

Drive-Thru Confessional is a strong album that will hit for fans of Alvvays or the Snocaps. It brings a Canadian perspective to genres that are running rampant in the States and is another step for alt-country as it continues to grow in popularity worldwide. If Mise En Scene leave Canada to tour to support their new album, I encourage US indie-heads to attend, and if they stay north of the boarder then the Canadian fans are in for an exclusive treat. 

Cover image by Matt Horseman.