Sacha Mullin makes pop feel dangerous again on new album 'Social Touch'

Sacha Mullin has spent more than two decades refusing to stay in one musical place, and 'Social Touch' feels like the point where that restless instinct suddenly becomes brighter, sharper and far more immediate.

Produced by William Parker Wood, the Chicago artist's fourth solo album moves decisively toward pop without abandoning the experimental curiosity that has shaped his previous work. He has long operated across rock, jazz and more avant-garde territory, but 'Social Touch' brings those instincts into a setting designed to connect quickly without becoming predictable.

Instead of simply repeating the atmosphere of 2023's 'Casino Wilderness Period', Sacha Mullin deliberately places his remarkable voice inside a more direct framework this time around.

And lead single 'Hypocenter' makes that shift immediately apparent. Propulsive and expressive, the track features returning collaborator Emily Bindiger and introduces an album that seems newly interested in momentum. His voice remains capable of moving from carefully controlled phrasing into something soaring and theatrical without losing intimacy.

While 'Bed All Day' pushes the record further into playful pop territory, while the planned DJ Zeetus Lapetus rework underlines just how comfortably this material can stretch towards funk, disco and dance music.

Across his catalogue to date, each album has functioned as its own world, with songwriting, arrangement and vocal performance continually reconsidered. And 'Social Touch' feels like the latest and perhaps most outward-facing expression of that philosophy.

In all, 'Social Touch' is the sound of an artist realising that accessibility can be every bit as adventurous as obscurity.