Concert Preview: Mild High Club at Black Cat DC 4/19

Mild High Club.

Mild High Club.

JJ Smith

Mild High Club is the solo project and psychedelic dream pop group led by LA-based and Chicago-naïve Alexander Brettin. Using keyboards, computers, guitars, and a four-track recorder, Brettin used his affinity for jazz and AOR to develop Mild High Club content in 2012 by himself.

In 2015, Mild High Club made a debut with Timeline, an album exploring themes of the age of social media, and released a second album, Skiptracing, which reflected on Brettin’s artistry and identity. This 2016 release also featured the certified-Gold single “Homage”. The following year, Brettin collaborated with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard on Sketches from Brunswick East

Following the release of these three records over the course of just three years, Brettin finetuned his craftsmanship and dove into a five-year project that would become Going Going Gone.

This 2021 album touches on themes relevant to Brettin’s experiences throughout the pandemic and chaotic past few years. These themes are also applicable to listeners’ lives, as they are especially present in today’s age and include individualism, paranoia, faith, gun violence, and climate change. The album’s tone is jazzy, laid-back, and overall satisfying. Featured instruments create a diverse sound incorporating elements of funk, bossa nova, and jazz.

At just under 30 minutes, the album is a quick listen with songs that feel like snippets of thoughts and ideas merged together. While it’s certainly possible to listen to each song independently, this album is intended to be listened to in chronological order in one sitting, so that its material can be absorbed as a whole.

Mild High Club has performed live worldwide, including at packed festivals such as Coachella and Tropicalia. Brettin and the Club, as well as opener JW Francis, will be returning to the stage on April 19th at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C., located on 14th Street NW. Doors are at 7:30 pm and tickets are $25 on the day of the show. This show is all ages and patrons are required to show proof of a physical or photographic completed COVID-19 vaccination card. Those with qualifying medical conditions and children under 12 are exempt from this policy, but must show a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48 hours of the event. All patrons must show a valid photo identification that matches the patron’s vaccination card at the door. Masks are strongly encouraged and available for sale at the venue’s front desk.