Curtis Millen's "When Your Mind Wanders" is a soulful ode to daydream lovers

If you've ever been in love with, or perhaps are yourself, a dreamer, Curtis Millen's solo debut with The Anam Collective, "When Your Mind Wanders," may feel like stepping inside one of your daydreams. Born from a stirring of genuine daydreaming, Curtis zoning out while his bandmate, Jaime Garrido Latorre, played him an instrumental demo, It's part love letter, part lens: a celebration of those who drift, who wander, who lose themselves in thought, and the patient souls who love us for doing so..

Based in Amsterdam, the Anam Collective, comprising Belfast-born Millen and Spanish guitarist Latorre, has poured their heart into this genre-blending track, appropriately named "Anam," which means soul in Irish. Drawing from the deep wells of soul and funk influencers like Bill Withers, Al Green, Gregory Porter, and Vulfpeck, the sound is slick, full-bodied, and subtly funky in all the right places.

Led by gentle grooves and the firm hand of the producer and drummer Adam Gammage, who plays with Tom Grennan, "When Your Mind Wanders" is an invitation to take a stroll inside someone's imagination. The bridge and final crescendo offer a glimpse into the mind of the daydreamer, an inner VR headset, and a view of the beautiful chaos that inhabits inner worlds too often misunderstood.

With "When Your Mind Wanders," Curtis Millen and The Anam Collective are not simply releasing a single, but they're allowing us to escape, soul-first, for a moment. And for a debut? It's already obvious they've got a line on something timeless. Whether you're listening as the dreamer or their faithful soothsayer, this song is a reminder to make that strength within the stillness right where you live, in the space, in the surreal. Pour yourself a coffee, hit play, and drift.

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