Anthony Mills - 1st punch (Icons Creating Evil Art)

The Slow Music Movement
Jul 17
1 min read

This is the cover for Anthony Mills', "1st punch" single, showing Mills in thorn bush patterned jacket and wide brimmed hat casting shadow over his face in front of a dark background.

Anthony Mills has been making some great soul music for the last fifteen years. Looking back at his catalogue I'd forgotten I actually have him on vinyl via his collaboration with Wildcookie back in 2011. Since then he's been flipping between more mainstream leaning R&B, deeper nu-soul and some serious blues infused soul to fine effect. You'd probably guess he lived in a cabin in Louisiana, rather than Sweden, where he's been for a while now.

Anthony Mills wearing a beige cowboy hat and dark face covering with white patterns. Neutral expression, dark background, casual black shirt.

As well as a deep blues and soul voice, it sounds like Mills also plays the tuba, and alongside a deep bass drum and what sounds like home made percussion, the raw, insistent and somewhat ragged sounds of that instrument leap through the speakers at you, and with the first lyric line, "Throw the 1st punch. No knife no gun, I’m o throw the 1st punch." right behind it, you know you better duck.

The vocal sits in some stylistic confluence of soul rooted spoken word, pre-blues field song and threat - quite the achievement; one thing is for sure it's a serious statement of intent and he sounds like he means it too. Apparently the vocal refrain is words of wisdom from his Uncle Tyrone on how to cope with life's mean streets. The no messing lyrical refrain then repeats, presumably while someone is already lying on the ground, riding the equally rugged percussion and tuba riddim, only to be interrupted by a couple of small verses that share the same sentiment. You can't mess with this hard hitting tune.