An uninhibited punk and post-hardcore band from Auckland, New Zealand, the Mint Chicks -- Michael Logie (bass), Kody Nielson (vocals, piano), Ruban Nielson (guitar), and Paul Roper (drums) -- formed in 2001 and signed to the Flying Nun label a couple years later, debuting with the six-song Octagon, Octagon, Octagon EP. A second EP for the label, Anti-Tiger, followed eight months later, but not before a one-off single for Fierce Panda. In a matter of months, the band went from headlining its own small shows in its homeland to playing abroad and opening for the likes of TV on the Radio, the White Stripes, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They recorded their first album, F**k the Golden Youth, after a spate of tours in 2005 and followed it with the more melodically developed Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! in 2006. ~ Andy Kellman