We caught up with Mild Minds to discuss his creative process and the sonic influences that have inspired his upcoming album, GEMINI.
Grammy-nominated producer Benjamin David, known as Mild Minds, has always stood at the crossroads of contrasts. His debut album, MOOD, was a creative risk that marked his transition from behind-the-scenes producer to a celebrated solo artist.
Now, Mild Minds is preparing to deliver another such statement with his sophomore album GEMINI, set for release on February 21 via ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective. The project that delves even deeper into the dichotomies that define his sound: euphoria and melancholy, human emotion and dystopian aesthetics, digital precision and organic warmth.
Leading up to the album’s launch, Mild Minds has offered glimpses into his new sonic world. Following the title track, “GEMINI,” and the ethereal “TEAR DROPS,” his latest single, “I NEED U,” is here to deepen the journey of sonic discovery into his second studio album. Driven by luminous chords and vocal samples, the track showcases his ability to extract profound emotion from minimalist elements — a hallmark of GEMINI’s sonic palette.
In an exclusive interview, Mild Minds opened up about the inspirations behind GEMINI, his approach to blending emotional depth with club-ready energy, and the pressures of creating a sophomore album. He also reflects on his early influences, the evolution of his sound, and the communal energy of live performance.
Get lost in the latest sultry singles of Mild Minds’ GEMINI on Spotify or your preferred platform, and don’t forget to snag tickets to his upcoming tour on his website! Read on for a deeper dive into the meaning behind the magic.
Stream Mild Minds – “I NEED U” On Spotify:
GEMINI seems to weave club-focused energy and melancholic emotion in a way seldom explored in dance music. How did you approach finding a balance between these contrasting elements?
I’ve always been drawn to emotional movement in music but have never connected with things like ballads and genres that you typically associate with emotion. So, there’s something powerful about finding that middle ground where the energy of dance music meets introspection. Sometimes, it’s just a feeling and a little more abstract. With GEMINI, I wanted to create something that feels like a push and pull between euphoria and melancholy as that’s what has always hit me the hardest.
You’ve mentioned feeling the pressures of a sophomore album. Can you share a moment during the creation of GEMINI when you reminded yourself to have fun and let go of expectations?
Yeah. I started this project to get away from that, and consequently, it was very fruitful the first time around. So, as soon as I felt those pressures coming, I reminded myself of everything I’d learned the first time.
There was one moment when I clearly let go. In the last few days before the album was due, I had almost randomly added female vocals to the final song, “Last Chance.” Normally, I’d be working on vocals like that for months, refining them, but knowing it was due in two days, my only two choices were to go with it or press delete. And I was able to make that decision without regret — even though I knew I could have taken them further, it was time to move on!
Knowing that GEMINI references early 2000s influences like trance and garage, what specific sounds or memories from that era shaped your creative vision for the album?
I think I focus more on the non-musical side of that era when it comes to the creative vision. It was the early days of the internet, but pre-mobile phones. So we had a lot more adventure and freedom without as many distractions. That sense of discovery and limited options was important to people growing up in that era. I try to channel that along with the sounds that tie into it.
Your newest single release, “I NEED U,” marks the next glimpse into GEMINI‘s sonic palette. What do you hope listeners will take away from this song as they anticipate the full album release?
This was possibly the first or second song I made for the album. Like the song “GEMINI,” it helped guide the album in a more garagey direction. I was experimenting with using my voice less, which I really enjoyed. I was trying to see how much emotion could be extracted from a short vocal sample and chords.
You describe GEMINI as exploring “humanity in dystopia.” What personal experiences or observations inspired this theme, and how do you hope listeners will connect to it?
I think that’s more of a theme consistent with the whole Mild Minds project. I love that duality, the tension between creation and destruction. Amongst the chaos of humanity, we’ve come so far and created so much, from culture and industrial farming to space exploration. There’s amazement and beauty in progress, even as it inevitably edges toward self-destruction.
Live performances often create a communal energy. How do you envision the audience experiencing the emotional depth of GEMINI during your tour?
I think what happens is everyone has created their own connections to the music, which is why I love leaving things a little open-ended in lyrics. And then we’re all in the room experiencing our personal connection together. It’s likely in totally different ways.
That was one of the most beautiful experiences of my first MM tour. We had low expectations, but then I saw so many faces completely engaged. It was emotional that we could all connect in that way.
Finally, as an artist navigating digital and organic soundscapes, how do you see your music evolving beyond GEMINI?
I feel like I really got to explore what I’d call more of a digital, punchier, harsher sound in this album, but I’m noticing the new music I’m making is a lot warmer and more harmonic. I’m also naturally singing a lot more again and finding the nuance that is unique to me. It’s nice to feel like I completed the Gemini sound enough to fully dive into something else.
