Their songs, which tend to be short, poetic about things prosaic and profound, and good for keeping you company, are — with a few notable exceptions — written by Francisca Cortesão, who has also been known has Minta since releasing the EP You, in 2008.
Along with Mariana Ricardo and a talented crew of other Lisboa-based musicians who are collectively known as The Brook Trout — Margarida Campelo, Tomás Sousa (also of You Can't Win, Charlie Brown) and Afonso Cabral — , Minta has released four studio albums: the eponymous Minta & The Brook Trout (2009), fan-favourite Olympia (2012), slow-cooked Slow (2016), with companion EP Row (2017) and a somewhat more tumultuous collection of songs called Demolition Derby (2021). The band has also released two live albums: Carnide, a concert with guests in 2011, and a collection of versions of beloved songs Out Of Washington State, originally by Kimya Dawson, Mirah, Beck, D+ and Mount Eerie played by Mariana Ricardo and Francisca Cortesão at a house show in Lisboa.
"Cantaloupe" is the first preview out of the band’s upcoming 5th LP, which will be released in the spring of 2025.
Minta & The Brook Trout have played major festivals and small living rooms, from Lisboa to San Francisco, and their music has been released and distributed by independent labels in Portugal, the US and Japan. The band is part of a solid Portuguese scene which includes acts such as Tape Junk, Bruno Pernadas, Monday, Luís Severo or Benjamim.
The new album will be released by louva-a-deus, a new studio, booking agency and label run by Francisca Cortesão and Afonso Cabral.
Francisca Cortesão has also written songs for other Portuguese artists. Cristina Branco released “Delicadeza” as the advance single of her album Eva. Along with Afonso Cabral, Cortesão wrote the unexpected hit “Anda Estragar-me Os Planos”, originally sung by Joana Barra Vaz and since reinterpreted by Salvador Sobral (who included a version in his 2019 album Paris Lisboa), Afonso Cabral himself, and Tim Bernardes, among others. beyond Minta & The Brook Trout, she has played with numerous other Portuguese artists, is also part of They’re Heading West and plays in children’s music projects Mão Verde and Mais Alto! besides working as a musician and songwriter, Francisca Cortesão co-runs louva-a-deus, a new studio, label and booking agency in Lisboa, along with Afonso Cabral, and is also a literary translator.
Mariana Ricardo has been an active member of the Lisbon music-making scene since 1994. she currently plays with The Secret Museum of Mankind, Silence is a Boy, and They’re Heading West. earlier projects included Pinhead Society, Rock Group Tiger and München (if you can read Portuguese, this is a very cool interview). Mariana Ricardo makes music for film and stage plays and is also a screenwriter, having co-written films such as Tabu and Grand Tour (Miguel Gomes), Technoboss (João Nicolau) or Índia (Telmo Churro). Mariana Ricardo has played in and co-produced all of Minta & The Brook Trout’s the band’s debut in 2009.
Margarida Campelo released her long-awaited debut album, Supermarket Joy, in 2023. Margarida plays keyboards, the piano and sings – and does both at same time like few other people in the planet – with Lisbon-based bands and artists of radically different styles, including Real Combo Lisbonense, Bruno Pernadas, Cassete Pirata and Joana Espadinha. a classical and jazz-trained pianist and singer, Margarida Campelo is also a teacher at Luís Villas Boas Jazz School in Lisbon. Margarida Campelo has been part of Minta & The Brook Trout since recording Slow, in 2015.
Tomás Sousa is a member of Lisbon band You Can’t Win Charlie Brown, who released their fourth album, Âmbar, in 2022. Tomás Sousa is also a motion designer and music video director: YCW,CB’s video for “Above The Wall” is a fine example of his work. His first release with Minta & The Brook Trout was the 2017 EP Row.
Afonso Cabral is a founding also member of You Can’t Win Charlie Brown, and has been releasing music under his own name since 2019, with Morada. He plays with numerous other bands and artists, including Bruno Pernadas and Mais Alto!, and is working on his sophomore album. Along with Francisca Cortesão, he co-runs louva-a-deus studio, booking agency and label. Even though the upcoming Minta & The Brook Trout album is the first Afonso Cabral recorded as bandmember, he has been playing with the band since the release of Demolition Derby and was one of the voices in Olympia’s magnificent chorale.
