Dive into Mild High Club's psychedelic universe.
Although Mild High Club released their debut album Timeline in September 2015, it seems they didn't really need an inspirational break, because they released their second album in late August this year. The record is entitled Skiptracing and was released on Stones Throw Records. Their latest video for the song Kokopelli was animated and directed by Pierce McGarry, better known as Mac DeMarco's former bass player.
Mild High Club is a pretty recent project of Alexander Brettin who describes the band as himself “and his friends”. Brettin, who grew up in Chicago, played the flute in his school band before going on to major in jazz studies. In 2012, after meeting with the Stones Throw Records crew, he decided to move to Los Angeles to materialize his new musical ideas In addition to his studies, Brettin is no stranger to the music world as he recorded and toured with the likes of Ariel Pink, Mac DeMarco and Silk Rhoses, but Mild High Club initially started out as a solo project. Brettin was playing everything himself, but he eventually started to bring in some friends to help him out upon which he realized it wasn't just a project on which he would be working by himself. Mild High Club is a pretty recent project of Alexander Brettin who describes the band as “a collective of homies that are interested in the same kind of music”.
Influenced by late 60s and 70s psychedelic, jazz and funk music, Brettin managed to stir these influences together and came up with the 11 tracks composing Skiptracing. Mild High Club seem to be discovering their own identity with this release and to be distancing themselves from the criticism received for their first record, that they wouldn't be distinguishing themselves enough from their influences. Although it only runs for about 31 minutes, Skiptracing feels like a statement of intent for what is to come with its slinky bass lines, enchanting synthesizers, sweet percussions and beautiful guitar solos. And if they can keep up with putting out records every year, the run time of the record isn't going to be a big deal.
About a month ago, Mild High Club released the first video for the title track of the album directed by Brettin and shot by himself along with Bradford Walters on 8 mm.
For those who want to hear more from Mild High Club, Skiptracing is available for streaming on Spotify. Mild High Club are currently touring the US and will be hitting Europe in October. You can find all of their tour dates here. Make sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for any upcoming news, releases and tour dates.