Sacha Mullin – Social Touch

Sacha Mullin (Chicago) has spent over 20 years developing a very distinct musical voice and with his fourth album Social Touch he’s taking a new direction. Having been named “Chicago’s Best Pop Artist” by the Chicago Reader, he’s now in a position to take his art rock songwriting into a more direct pop arena without losing the adventurousness that has always been at the heart of his work. The album kicks off with “Joy”, followed by ‘Don’t Wanna Hurt U” and “Hypocenter’ (which again features Emily Bindiger on backing vocals). There’s a definite sense of an artist who is keen to make his songwriting more immediate, while still retaining the emotional depth and vocal character that have always been so central to his music. His powerful, yet vulnerable delivery is still very much in evidence, with a huge vocal range that enables him to shift seamlessly between the intimate and the soaring. Produced by William Parker Wood, Social Touch sees him confidently exploring the space between alternative pop, art rock and experimental songwriting.

The eight track sequence continues with “Bed All Day’ (the second single), ‘Mime”, the title track “Social Touch”, “Tears Into Platinum” and “Odd Radio Circle”. These form the main body of an album that’s clearly intended to be a vehicle for a more pop side of Mullin’s musicality. The singles provide two key entry points: “Hypocenter” brings in the energy of the Bindiger collaboration and ‘Bed All Day” is the other way in which the album is being promoted. ‘Bed All Day’ is also given a further treatment in the form of a remix by Chicago-based DJ Zeetus Lapetus (a very playful space disco artist) which in a sense links Mullin’s work in with the wider experimental/dance music scene in Chicago. The CD version of the album has ‘Let’s Cruise” and “Tall Ask’ as bonus tracks and the digital version has William Parker Wood’s remix of “Tears Into Platinum”. There’s also a special 7″ which features ‘Hypocenter’ paired with Mullin’s version of Alexz Johnson’s “Voodoo’ (a recording made at the request of members of Alexz’s fanbase).

What’s so interesting about Social Touch is the history of creation behind it. Mullin has never been the kind of artist who’s going to just settle into one sound. Whelm, Duplex and Casino Wilderness Period were all very different musical contexts. His background is in avant-rock with Cheer-Accident and Lovely Little Girls, he’s worked with a wide range of musicians in the jazz and experimental fields and has always had a real interest in the vocal arrangement. That’s what underpins the songwriting, the interplay of the complex melodies and the adventurous harmonies with a real instinct for the kind of pop song that’s going to stick in your head. His work with Emily Bindiger is another very significant link, a relationship that’s been going on for a long time. Social Touch was released 19th October 2026 via Dipterid Records and is very much a new phase rather than a complete break from what’s come before. It’s a very confident statement from an artist who is continuing to develop in his own way. He’s taken his experimental instincts and put them into a more accessible package and it shows that you can have immediate pop without losing the imagination, the individuality and the emotional depth. That’s the essence of it.

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