Get Your Mind Right with Fort Collins Band Write Minded

Jonson Kuhn | New SCENE

Looking for a new favorite band? Allow New Scene to introduce you to Fort Collins’s Write Minded. They’re by no means a new band, so perhaps you may have already heard of them, but on the off chance you haven’t, buckle in because their sound is a rollercoaster of pure get-up-and-move energy that pulls from so many different popular genres there’s sure to be a little something for everyone.

Personally, when I listen to their music, I hear a little bit of Animal Collective and then suddenly I hear Sublime but then all of a sudden it sounds like 311, but no matter which song I’m listening to it always sounds like 100% Write Minded. These guys have definitely dialed in their own sound, so while their inspirations may come through clearly, at no point does it ever feel unoriginal; from one song to the next, they maintain a polished product that is uniquely their own. I don’t care who you are or what you’re into, this is a band you’re going to want to keep an eye on.

With a perfect blend of hip-hop, rock, reggae, funk, and soul, Write Minded never fails at keeping your attention, which says a lot in a day and age when attention spans are often shorter by the minute. Because they rely on so many different sounds and styles to tell their stories, their music keeps you fully engaged and never bored, whereas sometimes there’s a tendency of burning out on certain bands that stick with one genre.

But don’t take my word for it, check these guys out at their next show on January 13 at the Aggie Theatre. Though they tend to keep pretty busy between performing, rehearsing, and recording, the band was nice enough to make a little time for New Scene to talk about where they come from and where they’re going. Enjoy!

NEW SCENE: I really like the name Write Minded; can you talk a little bit about where that comes from?

WM: The name “Write Minded” originates from our love of the process of writing music and our goal to give the listener an escape from their everyday problems, it’s our attempt to “get their mind right.”

NEW SCENE: You’ve received a lot of praise through various articles and garnered several awards, how long have you officially been a band? What’s the origin story? You all got started in Fort Collins?

WM: We started in Fort Collins in 2015, so we just had our 7th-year‘ bandaverssary.’ Like many of the songs, we write, our genesis was basically an experiment. Just kind of putting people together and seeing what could be produced. Half of us had gone to high school together and had rapped and produced music together before but we wanted to try the energy of a live band and feel what it was like to produce and write that way.

NEW SCENE: With six band members, I would imagine that everyone sort of brings their own interests and musical tastes to the table, is that the explanation behind why Write Minded blends so many genres together? Was pulling from different genres such as hip hop, rock, reggae, funk, and soul the initial goal the band started out with, or was it more of a gradual thing?

WM: That’s exactly why Write Minded is, such a blend of genres. Everyone comes from different music backgrounds which makes it exciting to get together and play. The genre-blending was never really a goal, in fact, having any plans on which direction the music will go is kind of the opposite of our philosophy. We like it all to come very organically. We’re never quite sure what kind of track we will produce, and that mysteriousness is fun to play around with.

NEW SCENE: Goosebumps is a pretty great song and equally great video, what was the behind-the-scenes making of that like?

WM: Thank you for the compliments on “Goosebumps!” It’s one of our favorites, as well. We tend to open our shows with that song. The video was actually the product of a contest called 53:14 Music Video experiment. Shout out to Blake Miller for conceptualizing and shooting that one. It was as fun as it looked to do! We basically threw a big ass pool party and filmed the ensuing shenanigans. 

NEW SCENE: You had two big albums with “Eye Above” in 2016 and “Pieces of Mind” released in 2019, you then followed those up with a number of singles such as “Lights,” “Feight,” “Roses” and “Faded” in 2021. With the end of 2022 just around the corner, can fans expect anything new coming in the new year?

WM: We are currently writing our next big album. It is exciting because we have evolved a lot as a band and as individuals since our last big release, and we can’t wait to show our listeners what we’ve been working on.

NEW SCENE: You’re playing at the Aggie Theatre on January 13 at 8 pm, for anyone who might not already be familiar with Write Minded, what can you tell people they can look forward to?

WM: If you want to experience Write Minded at our apex it is definitely the live show. The stage is where we thrive in an attempt to create a high energy positive atmosphere with a side of “light” headbanging.

Thanks to Write Minded for taking the time to talk with North Forty/New Scene. Now if you don’t “mind,” go do the “write” thing and follow the band on Facebook and Instagram and be sure to catch them at the Aggie on January 13.