Twiddle frontman Mihali released his second full-length studio album, Effection, via Ineffable Records on Friday. Produced by Nathan Aurora (Iya Terra), mixed by E.N. Young, and with artwork by Danny Steinman, the album features collaborations with renowned reggae acts Iration, The Movement, The Elovaters, Jacob Hemphill of SOJA, and Iya Terra, plus Chadwick Stokes of Dispatch and Montana bluegrass outfit Kitchen Dwellers.
The ten-track album offers new insight into Mihali’s world and cements his place as a solo reggae artist in addition to the frontman of Vermont jamband Twiddle. He had this to say about the album and its name: “Effection is about reawakening passion in your life, and making positive changes towards a healthier mind, body, and spirit. These are often the hardest changes to make but I believe we all have the courage inside of us to do it. Anything is possible if you want it badly enough.”
The album comes with an animated video for standout track “Digital Heaven”, which was created Mihali’s cousin Tim Fox. Mihali explained:
For me, “Digital Heaven” ran a two part narrative: I was wondering what someone from an ancient civilization would think if he or she was teleported to, let’s say, Times Square in NYC. With all the people and cars and lights and giant buildings that surround, would it look like “hell on earth’”or a “futuristic technology driven heaven?”
I was also thinking about how all of our memories—particularly photos and videos of loved ones who have passed—live in the “Digital Heaven” that we now know as the “Cloud.” Our entire lives are basically stored there without us realizing it, and when we are gone, it’s there that we will exist.
My cousin Tim Fox did the music video and absolutely knocked it out of the park. He did an incredible job explaining these two narratives through animation and I am so very proud of the final product, I hope everyone enjoys it.
“Digital Heaven” follows recently released singles, “Open House” (with Chadwick Stokes of Dispatch), “Effection” (with Jacob Hemphill of SOJA) and “Living is the Lesson” (with Iration). “Maplewood”, a tribute to his hometown and formative years, was released in February, and dub track “Greater Escape” (with The Movement and The Elovaters) arrived in March. Effection also features a genre-blending collaboration with Kitchen Dwellers on “Ballad of Broken”, which fuses Mihali’s reggae sound with traditional bluegrass instrumentation, including banjo, mandolin, and upright bass.
Effection is now available on all streaming platforms. Watch the video for “Digital Heaven” and stream the album via Soundcloud in the players below. Scroll to view Mihali’s upcoming tour dates. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit his website.
Mihali – Effection
