This year was a busy one for Mini Dresses, which saw us playing a ton of shows, as well as the release of a new EP (FOUR), and the commencement of recording our first full-length album. In the midst of the madness, we found some time to partake in some of Boston’s super cool cultural offerings. Here are some of our favorite moments…

Hassle Fest #7 and Fuzzstival
Having a spot in two of the biggest local music festivals of the year was definitely a proud moment for us.

video by Ethan Long

GRRL Haus Cinema
Our friend Anastasia Cazabon is an incredibly talented filmmaker and photographer who, among a host of other creative projects, runs a program at the Brattle Theater called Grrl Haus Cinema – an exploration of short film, art, and music made by women. She asked us to play a quick set before the latest installment of GHC, and it was a blast! New England is a hotbed for women filmmakers of all stripes – documentary, experimental, narrative – and it’s truly special to have a venue like GHC devoted to women’s voices in local, national, and international cinema.

Mystic Steamship Co.
Over the summer, we started working on our first full-length with Ian Doerr. Ian, who’s also in Beach Toys, is a recording engineer par excellence, operating Mystic Steamship Co., an analog recording studio currently in Arlington. It’s been an awesome and eye-opening experience working with decades-old reel-to-reels and vintage tape delays, especially with someone who has such an immense knowledge of and love for this kind of recording process. Right now Ian and Spenser Gralla (Creaturos, Bong Wish) are building a new studio in the South End. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for those dudes!

Playing with U.S. Girls and Ian Svenonius’s ESCAPE-ISM
L: When we were asked to play this show, I flipped out. I listened to The Make-Up and Nation of Ulysses in high school, so meeting Ian Svenonius was a total dream come true. Meg Remy’s U. S. Girls project is a tour de force of experimental lo-fi pop, full of incisive, gut-wrenching narratives put to infinitely groove-able loops and samples. Watching her perform was exhilarating. Thrilled to say we shared a bill with these guys!

Non-Event
This ongoing concert series offers a glimpse into the thriving local and international avant-garde, experimental, and new music scenes, in venues ranging from coffee shops, to museums, to City Hall. We’ve really enjoyed the Experimental Coffee House performances at Café Fixe, whose intimate setting encourages a completely immersive listening experience.