In an electronic music landscape often divided between functional club tools and emotive home listening, Mild Minds' sophomore album GEMINI refuses to choose sides. Released via ODESZA's Foreign Family Collective, and a five-year follow-up to his acclaimed 2020 studio album debut MOOD, this nine-track collection from GRAMMY®-nominated producer Benjamin David boldly explores the intersection of human emotion and digital progress.
The album's sonic palette draws from turn-of-the-millennium electronic touchpoints – breaks, airy pads, chopped R&B samples, and early trance influences – but reimagines them through a contemporary framework. Opening track "I NEED U" immediately establishes this approach with its longing chord progressions and vocal fragments that feel simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking.
As GEMINI progresses, David displays impressive range. The title track's structure abandons repetition for constant evolution, while "TEARDROPS" showcases his signature vocals and sequenced chord progressions. "1 DAY 2 LATE" ventures into darker territory both thematically and sonically, exploring life's critical moments against a backdrop of intricate percussion and atmosphere.
The album's middle section with "EMPTY SPACE" and "IN YOUR EYES" brings a deeper emotional resonance before "DNA ∞" delivers one of the collection's most dance-oriented moments without sacrificing the album's introspective core. The closing tracks "STILL THINKIN' 'BOUT U" and "LAST CHANCE" beautifully resolve GEMINI's narrative arc, finding humanity within increasingly digital spaces.
What's most impressive about GEMINI is how it manages to work on multiple levels – as thoughtful headphone listening, as soundtrack to movement, and as emotional catharsis. While echoing influences from contemporaries like Caribou and Four Tet, David has created something distinctly personal. After amassing over 300 million streams since his debut, this sophomore effort feels like a definitive artistic statement from a producer confidently carving his own lane in electronic music's emotional frontier.
GEMINI is available to stream now, and to order a collectors copy on vinyl. Mild Minds is currently amidst a forimidable tour itinerary to showcase the sounds of GEMINI around the world through the rest of the year.
Stay connected with Mild Minds to catch him in a city near you and check out the GEMINI experience for yourself.
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