The Pack a.d. Go Motor City, BC

Mint Records was founded by Bill Baker and Randy Iwata in 1991, and in the 20 years since then, the label has established itself as arguably the most successful independent record company in western Canada. And while Mint's catalogue spans a wide range of genres, renowned past signings like the New Pornographers, cub and Maow mean that the company is typically known for its fast and fun indie pop.

That's why it's a little surprising that, as the label enters its third decade, its franchise act is a down 'n dirty blues band that steers well clear of giddy keyboards and instantly-hummable choruses. I'm talking, of course, about the Pack a.d., the garage-dwelling duo made up of singer-guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller. It's these two alliterative ladies who grace the front cover of Kaitlin Fontana's book Fresh at Twenty: The Oral History of Mint Records, due out Oct. 1 through ECW Press.

This past week (Sept. 13), the Pack a.d. released Unpersons, its fourth album in as many years. In many ways, it's business as usual for the band: the riffs are raw and raunchy, the drums hit like a punch to the gut, and the no-bullshit production highlights the two-piece's primal power. This much is obvious from the opening track, "Sirens," which comes roaring out of the gate with fuzz-soaked guitar licks, crashing symbols and Black's spine-tingling wail.

But Black and Miller aren't simply repeating past successes. A lot has changed since the last time The Tyee wrote about the Pack a.d., and no one is likely to label Unpersons as another blues-inspired addition to the band's catalogue. These 13 tracks steer well clear of 12-bar patterns or other Robert Johnson-derived tropes, and their roots trace back to a Detroit garage instead of the Mississippi Delta.

When recording their latest disc, the ladies teamed up with esteemed Motor City studio-whiz Jim Diamond, who has previously worked with acts like the White Stripes, Electric Six, the Mooney Suzuki and more.

The fact that the Pack a.d. recruited the White Stripes' former engineer is unlikely to quell the many comparisons the band has received to the now-defunct duo, but there's no denying the quality of Diamond's hard-hitting, full-bodied sonic style. Just listen to the blood-curdling "Positronic," with its menacing intro comprising a computerized voice speaking unintelligibly over an ambient swirl of amorphous noise. The punk stomp of "8" is far more straightforward, as an assault of powerchords provides a rowdy backdrop for Black's boast: "My robot can kill your robot."

Okay, so the singer's bragging is a little frivolous, but songs such as these kick up an awesomely face-melting racket and use only two instruments to get the point across. How many other Mint bands can claim that?