Milky Chance

German duo Milky Chance are known for their hooky, laid-back pop that touches upon folk, reggae, and electronic sounds. They initially broke through with their 2013 full-length debut, Sadnecessary, which included the chart-topping single “Stolen Dance.” The album earned them two Echo Award nominations and paved the way for 2015′s Blossom and 2019′s Mind the Moon. In early 2021 and 2022, respectively, the band offered up the compilation albums Trip Tape and Trip Tape II, both of which contained a series of covers and remixes. Their fourth album, Living in a Haze, appeared in 2023.
Singer/songwriter Clemens Rehbein and DJ Philipp Dausch first met in an advanced music course while in high school in Kassel, Germany, where Rehbein played bass in the jazz ensemble. Originally, Rehbein and Dausch played together in a local band, but after graduation, the group broke up and Rehbein and Dausch continued as a duo. In 2013, after playing two promising live shows, Milky Chance began work on their debut album. When they were finished, they uploaded several of the tracks, including the catchy “Stolen Dance,” to YouTube. To their surprise, the song became a viral hit, racking up millions of views and leading to several sold-out tour dates. Milky Chance’s full-length debut, Sadnecessary, appeared on Lichtdicht Records in 2013. With the album charting on the German charts and Billboard Top 200, the duo reissued “Stolen Dance” with the single hitting the charts across Europe and the U.S.
By 2015, Milky Chance had toured the U.S. and been nominated for several European awards. The pair returned to the studio the following year to record their sophomore album. The resulting Blossom — which was released in early 2017 — saw the duo pushing their sound further in new directions. A third full-length, Mind the Moon, arrived in November 2019 and included the single “Daydreaming” featuring Tash Sultana. Milky Chance kicked off the next decade with the 2020 single “Don’t Let Me Down,” a collaboration with singer/songwriter Jack Johnson.
2021′s “Colorado” served as the lead single for their next project, Trip Tape. Released in November 2021, Trip Tape consisted of remixes of previously recorded material along with cover songs by a range of artists from Nirvana to the Kid LAROI. A companion set, Trip Tape II, followed in October 2022 and included the single “Troubled Man.” The band’s fourth full-length, Living in a Haze, arrived in June 2023. Along with the singles “Golden” and “Purple Tiger,” it featured guest appearances, including Fatoumata Diawara on the Afrobeat-infused “Flicker in the Dark” and Charlotte Cardin on the “History of Yesterday.” ~ Matt Collar