Mildred are an Oakland four-piece with no lead singer, no lead songwriter and some unusual day jobs: a PhD student studying the atom, an environmental lawyer, an architect who took up the trade after a year in a Benedictine monastery, and a man who works in affordable housing and also helps his dad grow beans.
Together they make loose, warm indie rock with a country lean and lyrics that read like short stories. Debut album âFencelineâ came out in April, and theyâve just finished a sold-out US tour supporting Frog.
New single âFluorescenceâ is a gentle pleasure. The other half of a double A-side with âBird Laughâ, with Henry Easton Koehler on lead writing and vocals this time around, it keeps to one vivid image and leaves you to fill in the story, over an irresistible melody.
âI had the second verse of this song kicking around in my phone for a long time before any other lyrics or melodyâ, Koehler explains. âIt conjured an image of an old, jaded professor waiting in line among his students for the urinal. I wrote the rest pretty quicklyâ.
They made their UK debut with a headline show at The Windmill in Brixton, where they filled a sudden blackout with impromptu a cappella. Drummer Will Fortna is from London, so the UK isnât entirely foreign territory.
Theyâre back for a week-long UK tour from 22 Nov and demand has been brisk: the London show at The Ivy House sold out straight away, a matinee was added and sold out too, and Brighton and Leeds have followed. Not bad for a band with such impressive day jobs.
đ§ Listen to âFluorescenceâ
