Aussie indie jazz-rock quartet Mildlife evokes the atmosphere of the late 1970s. Their studio efforts, among them Phase from 2017 and Automatic from 2020, fuse jazz fusion, psychedelia, modernist funk, and futurist disco into a lush, nearly cosmic whole that recalls Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters collaborating with Can.
Formed in Melbourne as a leaderless outfit by four school friends—keyboardist/vocalist Kevin McDowell, guitarist Adam Halliwell, bassist Tom Shanahan, and original drummer James Donald—the group began with ’70s rock touchstones yet quickly absorbed a wider array of influences, combining them in an open-ended manner. They built their own studio, handled all production themselves, and tracked everything live in the room. Persistent revision, experimentation, and perfectionism when assembling separately written sections often stretched the completion of one track across several years. Shanahan and McDowell, who also work as graphic designers, originated the band’s logo and every piece of artwork.
Research Records issued the debut album Phase in 2018 to widespread critical praise. Longtime friend and engineer Jim Rindfleisch captured the sessions and later replaced James Donald on drums. That success secured a contract with the influential British indie label Heavenly, whose roster includes Doves and Saint Etienne. In May 2020 Mildlife issued the single “Rare Air,” a lush, super-smooth groove, followed in September by the album Automatic. The record reached number eight on the ARIA charts and gained airplay on European jazz stations as well as NPR.
After the pandemic, the quartet delivered a one-off livestream concert from South Channel Island on March 10, 2021, drawing material from both albums. The performance appeared as the limited-edition vinyl Live from South Channel Island and received wider release in April 2022. It climbed to number 29 on the ARIA charts, earned the ARIA industry award for Best Jazz Album later that year, and received an AIR nomination for Best Independent Jazz Album or EP.
Following extensive cross-continental touring throughout 2023, Mildlife returned to the studio toward year’s end. Drawing on personal and shared musical languages, the members wove together library sounds, soundtracks, Polish jazz-funk, Italian disco, electronica, and fusion, all orbiting a universal groove that keeps circling, breathing, and returning to shape whatever follows. Heavenly Recordings released the resulting album, Chorus, in March 2024.
