Mind
To Mind

Confessionals wrapped in rhythm

MILLEN JR is the lovechild of vintage soul, backroom funk, outsider pop and smoky jazz, stirred with a wink and a slow-burning groove.

Drawing from a kaleidoscope of influences, he channels the raw heart of Ray Charles, the righteous warmth of Pops Staples and the falsetto finesse of Curtis Mayfield — filtered through his own off-centre lens. His sound sashays between the laid-back dub-soul of Fat Freddy’s Drop and the poetic melancholy of Nick Drake, riding grooves tight enough for Vulfpeck yet always cracked open for a story or a slow smirk.

There’s deep soul lineage here — echoes of Aretha’s gospel fire, the jazz-blues grace of Cassandra Wilson, the velvet touch of Lizz Wright — but also a proudly Australian edge, raised on the larrikin charm of Mental As Anything, the swagger of the Hoodoo Gurus and the horn-drenched funk of the Dynamic Hepnotics.

Add a dash of Elvis Costello’s lyrical snarl and the surreal wit of Alexei Sayle, and you’ve got an artist who croons, grooves, and occasionally pokes you in the ribs just to make sure you’re listening. Songs built for late-night drives, lonely dances and unexpected revelations.