Year-End List, 2009
"[W]hat The Mean have done with Meet Us Here is undeniable. An incredible fusion of rock and blues with tinges of funk thrown in here and there for good measure, Meet Us Here was the album I listened to the most this year by far."
-James A. Johnson, Phrequency, Dec. 17, 2009
Review, Mar. 31, 2009
"[T]his really intriguing band from Philly with multiple singers, inventive song structures and time signatures, and a really laid back, unpretentious mix of rock and soul and country [recently] released a new album. It's still not quite up to the standard of their shows, but they're getting there."
-Al Shipley, Narrowcast, Mar. 31, 2009
Album/Show review, Mar. 9, 2009
"If you haven't heard the group [before], you're in for a real treat. The Mean put together great, catchy music without being overly pop or dumbed down and manage to blend genres together effortlessly to the point where each song is completely different from the last and immensely enjoyable."
-James A. Johnson, Phrequency, Mar. 9, 2009
Review/Interview, Mar. 4, 2009
"With a gentle mishmash of most every genre under the sun, the Mean have found a way to be completely unique without becoming obscure. With ‘60s pop hooks, late-1970s soul vibes and strong undercurrents of funk and R&B, the Mean create songs that are intelligent, layered and dense, yet catchy and accessible."
-Katherine Silkaitis, Philadelphia Weekly, Mar. 4, 2009
Live review, Aug. 3, 2008
"The Mean ended the night with their melange of '60s psychedelic blues, Latin rhythms, and indie rock jangle. The six-piece got the rest of the crowd onto the dance floor with their snake-charm guitars and clave beats. It was an oddly fitting end to the night, their three-guitar attack jumping from genre to genre, from decade to decade, but always finding the common beat to hold it together."
-Eric Rivera, Spin magazine, Aug. 4, 2008
Live review, Aug. 23, 2007
"The Mean ... had driven down from Philly for the show ... with an exhilarating, indefinable sound. At first, it sounded like a guitar-heavy soul outfit, while other songs pointed toward soulful country rock, with the band's three guitarists each taking a turn on lead vocals. 'Tumblin'' featured a nervous, almost postpunk guitar riff over a driving surf-rock groove, while another song was a gentle ballad over a subtle 7/8 time signature."
-Al Shipley, Baltimore City Paper, Aug. 24, 2007