Paid To Leave is Mince‘s attempt at replicating one of their live shows.

By Graeme Smith

In a world obsessed with carving out individual tracks and singles, Paid To Leave has a throwback feel about it. With an A-side and B-side intended to each be played continuously, Paid To Leave is less a collection and more an experience. You can hear how immersive they’ve tried to make it. You can almost see the performance unfolding before you as you listen.

Things open moody and gloomy through the melancholic side A. Gritty, ghoulish vocals are joined by echoing, shoegaze-y riffs as things rise and fall dynamically over almost thirteen minutes. There are punchy, post-punk moments and edgy, atmospheric interludes. Sad Old Jumper, proves an early, fiery, echoing highlight.

Side B takes things in an initially dreamy direction, replacing the jagged edges with some soft fuzziness. There are traces of early Pink Floyd-psychedelia, as well as moments of indie rock bombast. Things feel contradictorily both laidback and frenetic, and just as you get the measure of things, we get a unexpected lick of country.

The band say that the album was inspired by the characters portrayed in Alex Cameron’s ‘Forced Witness’ and Guided by Voices’ way of leaving you wanting more after every song. That was certainly true for this reviewer.

You can catch Mince playing the album in full at Hyde Park Book Club tonight, 18 July 2025.

Paid To Leave is out now via Leeds Imprint Monomyth Records. You can give it a listen below.