Robi Mitch is an in-demand performer capable of delivering spellbinding sets in a variety of forms including vibrant, psych-infused indie pop with his 5 piece band, or dreamlike, experimental solo performances using a sequencer and drum machine. He is a master of the stripped-back singer-plus-guitar format, having studied under wandering troubadour and anti-folk icon Stanley Brinks.
Robi owes much to his folk music upbringing (he was named after Robin Williamson of the Incredible String Band) and to teenage years spent fronting post-punk and garage rock bands, but he uses a much broader palette. There are traces of Motown, 60s pop and psychedelia as well as overtones from global music scenes. Robi spent formative years as a session guitarist in east Asia based out of Taipei, during which time he worked with virtuoso Taiwanese producer Yuchain Wang. The inspiration drawn from these experiences has remained a distinctive part of Robi's sound.
Our Year is Robi's debut EP, released on January 30th 2020 as a limited edition vinyl. It has been described as "Amazing" by BBC's Richard Pitt and "Heavenly" by Obscure Sound, while Incubator Music called it “Better than good,” adding, “I’m hard pressed to come up with one artist that puts more thought into it than Robi Mitch."
The four song EP is packed with ideas, at times evoking the slacker rock of Mac De Marco and Homeshake with its use of relaxed vocals and unpolished production, while also drawing comparison to the cosmic synth-psych of Pink Floyd. There are distinctly British tones, especially in the vocals and the jangly Britpop guitars, but also breezy tropical flavours borrowed from Taiwan.
As a lyricist Robi plays activist, poet and philosopher, blending humour with melancholy, whimsy and existential disquietude. Loki Lillistone (Bristol In Stereo) put it best when he said that “Robi's timeless songwriting unravels not dissimilarly to Cass McCombs'.” There is a certain looseness present which is hard to define but easy to recognise, and which appeals immediately to those for whom it is already familiar. Perhaps this is the true essence of the quality we call “soul.”
Robi is touring throughout 2020 to promote Our Year. For more information or to book Robi for a gig, please get in touch.