After a day of Teams meetings, deadlines and the slow grind of ordinary working life, Leeds four-piece Mini Disc have a simple escape plan: get in a room together and make some noise. Their debut single, Whale Song, suggests there’s something more substantial brewing beneath the jokes.
They formed in early 2026, united by a love of guitar music and a desire to make something that belonged to them. Their debut single, Whale Song, arrives on 30 October. Ahead of its release, Mini Disc spoke to Imminent Infinity about mortgages, music, love and why a rehearsal room can be the best possible antidote to another day staring at a screen.
Featured photograph: Claire McClean Photography, courtesy of Mini Disc.
Making noise after the meetings
Some bands emerge from an elaborate artistic plan. Mini Disc’s origins are considerably more relatable: four friends, ordinary working lives and the nagging thought that there ought to be something beyond the next 35 years of screen time.
“There’s something brilliant about finishing a long day at work, walking into a rehearsal room with your mates and making an absolutely enormous amount of noise. We’re not necessarily trying to overthrow capitalism. We’ve all got mortgages to pay.”
That combination of frustration and humour feels like Mini Disc in miniature. They aren’t romanticising the struggle; they’re carving out something of their own in the gaps between work and everything else.
It’s not always straightforward. Rehearsals, recording and shows have to compete with full-time jobs, relationships and the general business of being an adult. But the complication is part of the point. They are making room for something that matters to them.
One rehearsal, six months and a song worth believing in
The first moment that really felt like Mini Disc, rather than four individual musicians sharing a room, came with Whale Song.
Its beginnings were unassuming. Guitarist James had been feeling low one evening and began experimenting with sounds, not initially intending to write a song for the band. The idea developed into the guitar parts that would form its foundation. Once he brought them into rehearsal, the instrumental came together in a single session.
“It’s still got that original feeling in there, but now it belongs to all four of us. I suppose it’s quite nice that something born out of a rubbish evening might end up being the soundtrack to somebody else’s good one.”
It’s a meaningful thought. Music made to get through one bad evening can end up accompanying a stranger through a very different moment. It’s a better description of why people form bands than any talk of playlists or algorithms.
The words were another matter. Drummer and lyricist Aaron spent six months working on them. He knew how the song should feel, but finding language that did more than simply describe the instrumental proved difficult. He returned to lines, changed them, abandoned them for weeks and started again.
Aaron’s answer to our question about the six-month wait is revealing:
“Six months is probably an excessive amount of time to write a few verses, but I’d rather that than put something out that I didn’t really believe in.”
It’s a small but important distinction: the words weren’t simply taking a long time; he wasn’t ready to let them go until they felt true.
When finding love means finding something to lose
For all the humour surrounding Mini Disc, Whale Song tackles a vulnerable subject. Its story follows the experience of finding a life partner, and the strange contradiction that arrives with that happiness: the more someone means to you, the harder it becomes to imagine life without them.
The band describe a contrast between the track’s expansive, uplifting indie-rock ambition and a lyrical undercurrent that is less certain. The fear isn’t there to cancel out the joy; it exists precisely because the joy matters.
“Relatively cheerful on the outside, quietly having an existential crisis underneath,” is how they sum themselves up.
It’s an unusually good description of what guitar music can do: create something communal and euphoric out of a feeling that might be almost impossible to say out loud over a pint.
Whale Song: our verdict
There’s a good story behind Whale Song, but a good story only gets a band so far. The music still has to stand up on its own. For me, it does.
What struck me first was how cinematic it feels. There’s a lovely retro quality to the sound, which I loved, but the vocals were the standout for me. They give the track a human centre amid all that atmosphere.
Knowing how it began — James playing through a low evening, the band shaping the instrumental together and Aaron spending six months on the words — adds another dimension. But Whale Song works for me beyond its backstory. It’s a debut that left me wanting to hear more, and that’s a fine place for a new band to start.
Four musicians in reasonably priced suits
Mini Disc aren’t particularly interested in playing by a fixed formula. Their members bring different tastes into the room, and the common ground is broad enough to accommodate unconventional structures, long instrumental passages and even songs without a traditional chorus.
They want music that rewards a close listen on headphones but can still move a room. And when asked what sets them apart, they lead with perhaps the most convincing sales pitch imaginable: “four exceptionally cool musicians in reasonably priced suits”.
There are characters behind the tailoring. James is the perfectionist. Aaron handles production and can apparently spend an extraordinary amount of time adjusting details the others barely notice. Charles is the resident cheerleader, convinced that the next gig or new song could be their best yet. Fran supplies energy, laughter and a willingness to encourage the chaos.
“We’re essentially four people who hate corporate bureaucracy attempting to run a small business together. The irony isn’t lost on us. At this rate we’ll have appointed a Head of HR before we’ve released an album.”
For a band that began as an escape from office life, they’ve somehow found themselves with a second job — only this one involves louder instruments and better company.
Success without a spreadsheet
The band have already played what they describe as a sold-out night at Leeds’ Key Club. For them, the memorable part isn’t a number on a ticket report; it’s the moment strangers respond to songs that existed only in a rehearsal room a few months earlier.
The band also had a hometown date booked at The Lending Room on 29 October, the eve of Whale Song‘s release. A fitting way to introduce a song that first came together in a rehearsal room.
Ask what would make the next year a success and they don’t reach for follower counts or streaming milestones. They want to release songs they believe in, play more shows, experiment, make mistakes and, above all, remain four friends enjoying the process. If their music becomes a small part of a stranger’s life, they say, that would be an achievement in itself.
Glastonbury wouldn’t hurt, either.
For all their jokes, Mini Disc take the music seriously without taking themselves too seriously. Maybe that’s the balance to hold on to. Whale Song began on a difficult evening and grew into something four friends could call their own. Now it gets to belong to whoever hears it next.
Whale Song is released on 30 October 2026. Follow Mini Disc and find their music and upcoming shows through their official links.
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