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In 2010, a compilation CD for a Japanese label began the slow re-emergence of enduring local emo act Mineral. A 2014 tour followed their 17-year separation, and this January delivered a hardcover 25th anniversary read accompanied by a 10-inch with two brand new tracks from the Austin quartet.: “You want to write something that sort of feels like what it was two decades ago, so in one way it’s a limitation,” says frontman Chris Simpson of the single pairing, on point with longtime fan appetites for explosive bursts and tender guitar lines. “On the other hand, it makes things a little easier, like having a writing prompt.”: The local songwriter relearned past guitar tunings and chord voicings to get back in the Mineral mindset. Formerly of the Gloria Record and now Mountain Time (né Zookeeper), Simpson also came to terms with old work.: “Every time I switched projects, I wanted to shut the door on the one before it,” the singer/guitarist adds. “It feels nice to realize, with age, that you don’t ever have to shut those doors. It doesn’t have to be completely linear, and you can embrace your whole journey in a way that’s much more accepting.”: Rather than a comeback, Simpson pegs this tour as an opportunity “to enjoy ourselves and not think about the future.” In the space since Mineral’s Nineties heyday, the artist served as a stay-at-home dad for his four kids, and is now squeezing in college studies for social work.: “When you have kids, you can’t really help but relive your own childhood while seeing them have theirs,” shares Simpson. “I felt very inspired to write, and early on [kids] sleep a lot, so I did feel there was time for that creative energy to be used. It was definitely an inspiring time.”