Mild High Club- Skiptracing
Mild High Club delivers another mellow mixer of soft, psyche-soaked rock with their sophomore album, Skiptracing. Mac DeMarcos former tourmates pay homage to the likes of the Beach Boys and Homeshake with their lay-in-the-sun trippy reverberation. Alexander Brettin leads the charge with his laissez faire vocals that carry throughout the album, carrying their hazy sound that pairs perfectly with the dreamy dripping guitars and synth. The Circle Star Records (Stones Throws step-sister label) band delivers a solid collection with their second album, with sauntering soul/jazz songs like Tesselation and Head Out to the some impromptu instrumental jam on Whodunit?, Mild High Club gives listeners more than what they came to expect.
Hit the jump for full review.
The 11-track album kicks things off with their title-track, Skiptracing, bringing their collective sound together with a slow rolling sound thrown in with some fun cowbell. About two-thirds of the way through we jump into a sweet slide guitar solo that kicks things up a notch. Taking up right after the first song, Homage dives into the psychedelic punch bowl, taking listeners on waves of harmony laced vocals and synth galore. The rollercoaster ride then pulls into Carry Me Back with a slower approach, carrying a last days of summer tone to it, a la Beach Boys Im Waiting For the Day.
Following the first triage of songs, Skiptracing breaks away and dances with some jazzy sounds that mesh well with Mild High Clubs sunshine-kaleidoscopic groove. Tesselation and Head Out stand out as some hitters that sneak in as some of my favorite tracks. Mild High Clubs signature sound gets revisited with Chasing My Tail and finishes off with Chapel Perilous carrying the jazz percussion from earlier tracks and shakes it up with Brettins tripped out vocals.
Mild High Clubs Skiptracing was an enjoyable ride taking listeners to and fro on an up and down ride of daydreaming pop. The couple 30-second tracks kind of come out of nowhere and could be seen as unnecessary but overall, the album carries through with a strong showing of what the band has been come to be known for. If youre looking for a lazy day album or one basking in the sun, Mild High Club has what youre after.