Family Average: 3/7

Hey all you people! Lets breathe some warm summer vibes into this husk the winter has left us. It’s time for our dear friend Brandon Mills to take the stage. Residing in our very own New York City, Brandon sets out to brighten our days with his own brand of summer strumming goodness. Was the family feeling the heat, or were they left out in the cold?

Listen along on Soundcloud and read on to find out:

This song has the mood of looking at the world through a yellow-orange tinted glass. The gist of the lyrics is “everything is gonna be alright,” and the song does help to make you feel like that. The instruments all mesh together well. I love when people are able to incorporate trumpets or some other such brass. It can be messy, but here it gives the song that extra push it needs to really stand out. The singer is super mellow too and has got a great voice. Nothing too technical or anything though, just a dude who’s trying to spread some positivity.

6/7

I can’t see anyone in the world having a problem with this music playing at a bar, house party, local barbecue, or JC Penny changing room. That being said, mass appeal has never really been my cup of tea. This is a roundabout way of me saying this music is incredibly safe. I have always had a hard time connecting to this kind of music. It’s just fine, but without any semblance of an edge or genuine emotion. Vague lyrics usually about how things are going to be okay, and to be happy, may improve the moods of some people but they always leave me depressed. I enjoy bands like this; Jack Johnson, most of Sublime’s hit songs. It just requires a few specific factors, and one of them is undoubtedly copious amounts of alcohol. I have no doubt that Brandon Mills is creating this music without an ounce of cynicism. I honestly believe this is genuinely the kind of music he likes to play. Which is awesome he loves to make people feel good. Spreading positive energy is nothing short of spectacular. It’s competent and cool, yeah, it’s really just not for me.

3/7

Brandon Mills sure knows how to write a record. He’s got the upbeat singer-songwriter persona down pat and cracked the code to create a real crowd pleasing tune. This track is just that -- cute rhymes, vanilla instrumentals, and a plethora of well-timed oooooohs guaranteed to get the toes tapping and heads bobbing. But oh wow, am I bored. It’s all too perfect, too glossy, too happy. Nothing about this song is offensive. It’s so PC it hurts. There is no doubt, however, that this guy is a talented musician. He knows exactly what he is doing and does it well. I just struggle to get excited about music that is so, bland, for lack of a better word. I would love to see him dig deep and pull out some lyrics with a bit more substance, and push his talents over the edge to do something really cool. It seems like he’s got it in him.

2/7

I don’t care for the pop not trying to be pop/ pop-country music in 2018, but this song is just objectively bad. I felt like the levels were not right. The vocals were super flat in the mix; it sounds like an intern was tossed into this project. I don't think the voice was bad, it was probably the best thing about this track. It sounds like a song someone forces you to listen to in their car and you just have to sit there thinking “alright fuck me.”

1/7

Who does this voice remind me of? Kinda like Jason Mraz mixed with Mark Mcgrath, frosted tips, and Hootie and the Blowfish, and I’m just feeling the 90s heavily.

Uncle Kracker that's it, yes, for sure.

Summer 90s bare feet on concrete, this is playing but like as the only option and you're not really paying attention so you're swaying and happy, but not all too interested.

3/7

This reminds me of Uncle Kracker, Mark McGrath, or even G-Love. It's definitely easy to listen to and I can see it having mass appeal. I can see them playing the Summer Stage at the Stone Pony.  Nothing spectacular because this has been done before.

3/7