LIKE MINT - New Folk - New EP "I Wish I Was Awake" - out today May 20th!

Berliner by choice Susi Wittig, alias Like Mint, is originally from the mountainous Erzgebirge and grew up with music at an early age. She started learning the violin when she was 6 and played and sang in church choirs and school orchestras until she was a teenager. When she taught herself to play the guitar, she learned about the music of singer-songwriters and folk. While living abroad for a year in the United States, her love for this kind of music was solidified and carried over into her own way of writing.

With her debut release in 2017, Like Mint began to carry her songs through the country, making whole rooms float with her elegant truthfulness. She stands close to a group of young singers who are calling out a new sensitivity - Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Rose, Billie Marten. The songs are clear compositions with poetic lyrics. Her voice and guitar take the lead, while harmonies or a warm cello form a framework.

Everything results in a folk record with country, pop and indie influences that is well worth listening to.

Like Mint shows and tells us stories, emotions, situations. However, she doesn’t overwhelm you with her feelings, but leaves space for your own experience. When meeting the audience, a conversation arises that leaves room for the listener.

"I want to reveal something about myself, but at the same time set off a resonance inside the person - my songs only come true when they enter into a dialogue." - Susanne Wittig

ABOUT THE EP

I Wish I Was Awake is the result of Like Mints´ musical journey over the past 3 years. The songs are more mature, talk about growing up and finding your own values and attitudes.

It was recorded and produced by the Australian singer-songwriter Lucas Laufen at The Famous Goldwatch Studio in Berlin. While vocals and guitar form the central theme, harmonies and various guest musicians give the songs a special touch.

"This record is about finding your own voice and looking back at times when you hadn’t found it yet. "I wish I was awake“ is the realization that many learning
processes run like a dream. You wake up and see what you’ve been going through and what you’ve learned. And sometimes you wish you could have been stronger and more observant in these moments."

SONG BY SONG

Ghost Of What We Know is about letting go. From beliefs that have dictated your life so far, childhood rituals or people whose ideals you followed. Every person comes to the point of taking a closer look at their inner life and thinking about what to let go of. Or you notice that convictions have become much more important than they used to be. This track was also one of the first songs I wrote after my time at Popkurs Hamburg and in which I used a different guitar tuning than the standard one. This opened up a new world of sound for me and I was forced to free myself from the usual chords that my fingers know and to search for the melodies intuitively. With the special accent of the trumpet, which I really wanted to have on the EP, it created exactly the mood the song talks about- something new is in the air, something has changed. And that´s good.

Die Angst is one of my most personal and honest songs. Writing in German is a step through which I consciously make myself vulnerable, but it also creates a direct connection with a German-speaking audience. I´ve lived with anxiety since childhood and I know worries, panic attacks and social anxiety all too well. I learned to live with it and to see it as part of me. This acceptance was a big step and ultimately gave me some healing. In the song I talk about how fear can catch up with you in any situation and is a silent companion always. You know it´ll be back at some point, even if you least expect it. In the end, however, there is also an acceptance of one´s own peculiarities - I don´t have to fight my fear (or whatever people are carrying around with them), it´s part of me, I´m okay the way I am.

Odd State is a song about fighting and how it can change the dynamics in a relationship. Everyone knows about the moment of reconciliation when being with a loved one finally feels normal again and you can breathe a sigh of relief. And the way to get there is described in this song - the strange state in which you find yourself, and the interpersonal nuances that loose their familiarity and automation. Some people scream, others are silent, but everyone hopes that they will return to normal. The song stands out on the EP because it was recorded almost entirely live and is nearly identical to the stage version. The additional element of Moritz Brümmer´s accordion wonderfully transports the longing for reconciliation and rounds off the song.

What He Was Up Against: I´m one of those people who constantly listens to True Crime podcasts or watches series. There is something about it that fascinates me, takes me along, pulls me under its spell. One series was Making A Murderer - the story of Steven Avery who is innocently released after serving 18 years in prison, only to be returned to prison shortly afterwards - this time for a different crime. To this day he is there and proclaims his innocence. It´s about corrupt police, the reputation of poor people in rural USA and the question - how can this be possible? Inspired by the Murder Ballads that used to spread crime news, this is the folkiest song on the EP. It is less of a “murder”, but more of an “innocence” ballad and is supposed to tell and spread the story of Steven Avery according to popular folk tradition.

The last two songs form a unit of content and music, which is why they are together at the end of the EP. Constantly Growing starts off and looks at things in life that have held you back or people that have made you feel small. In dealing with it, you realize that you are no longer the person you were then. You break away from the false truths others have spoken about you and get closer to who you really are. When I’m Home is about home and origin. On the one hand, there is a deep connection with the places from childhood, the traditions, the language. On the other hand, you grow out of it and now have to find a new place in everything. I wanted to bring the familiar sounds of home into the song, and so at the beginning you can hear me walking through my home village and then at the end the church bells ringing at midnight. This sound always fills me with a great sense of security, and it ends the EP after a dream-like outro of noises, spherical voices and sounds.

THE PROCESS

I have played these songs live during the last years, which shaped and evolved them. We started playing as a trio more often - with ´cello, electric guitar and joined vocals, which had a huge impact on the sound as well. I wanted to transfer the live atmosphere into the listening experience of this record.

In 2018 I started looking for someone to help me produce and met Lucas Laufen. His music and style of songwriting and producing immediately spoke to me. I had the feeling he could understand what I was trying to convey and where I wanted to go with the songs.

Early on we made the decision to keep the focus on the voice and guitar, just as it is on stage. And then we dove into a long process of figuring out what instruments and elements can help elevate the songs and draw the listeners in.

Eventually, the guest musicians all added their own creativity and helped frame the basic structures of the songs perfectly. There are sound and rhythmic elements to give the songs depth without covering up the narrative. Many backing vocals were recorded in The Famous Goldwatch Studio Berlin, which is set in a basement, lit up with twinkling lights, full of vintage furniture - and has its own studio cat. All these components, brought to life in the wonderful studio environment, became I Wish I Was Awake and I am happy about every little detail.

Listen to the EP I Wish I Was Awake here

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