There is a blissful energy, drifting through with a sense of a California coastline speeding by or perhaps a day trip that concludes with campfire conversations amid towering redwoods. The comfortable vibes are drawn from Oakland, California band mildred, and their latest Single/EP release of red.
With echoes of Alex G, Dawes, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the quartet peacefully revel in sounds of indie folk and Americana. According to an Instagram post, the four songs of this EP “represent the early stages of what became our band. mildred in embryo.”
As described in the press materials from Dog Day Press, mildred’s evolution was as friends who became roommates and eventually a band. The earliest manifestation of their works were drawn from living room sessions before and after dinner. Alongside the band’s accompanying mild EP release in October, the “songs from these sessions later fell into two drawers. The first drawer, marked mild, contains songs a little softer around the edges. The contents of the red drawer are a little more angular.”
The opening track, ‘Sauvie’s Nude Beach’, captures the band’s easygoing ethos with buoyant drumming, slick strumming, and soft melodies. From a lyrical perspective, the band paints a serene ‘day in the life’ feeling that feels both comforting and meditative.
With fuzzed-up guitar licks, and distressed laments of the vocalist, ‘Carry On’ builds upon the opening track and the band’s sense of freewheeling adventure.
The most intoxicating track of the EP is ‘Trailer Hitch,’ which brilliantly utilizes the band’s penchant for harmonization. Upon first listen, the easy melody of its chorus becomes insatiable, and so quickly accessible to sing along with. Also, the band’s guitars on this song brilliantly glow with lush character.
On the EP’s closing track, ‘Grown Boy’ extends to a sprawling 6 minutes. The melancholic pondering is heightened once again by the band’s harmonies. With great satisfaction, the band offers a fulfilling farewell with an extended guitar outro in the vein of MJ Lenderman or Stephen Malkmus of Pavement.
The release of mildred’s twin debut EPs comes off the back of their debut UK tour this summer which included shows in London at the Shacklewell Arms and The Windmill, as well as The Louisiana in Bristol. In February 2026, mildred will embark on a U.S. tour with Naima Bock.
mildred: Linktree / Instagram / Songkick
Review by Joshua Gutierrez
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