That Wasn't A Dream Pino Palladino & Blake Mills

• 1 Contour 03:17
• 2 I Laugh In The Mouth Of The Lion 02:36
• 3 Somnambulista 03:50
• 4 Taka 04:19
• 5 What Is Wrong With You? 04:20
• 6 Heat Sink 13:45
• 7 That Was A Dream 05:29
• Total Runtime 37:36

Info for That Wasn't A Dream

That Wasn't A Dream is a statement of intent from two singular musicians. The Grammy-winning Palladino has reshaped what bass can be in popular music, performing with everyone from D’Angelo to Nine Inch Nails, from Erykah Badu to John Mayer. Meanwhile, Grammy-winner and two-time Producer of the Year-nominee Mills is one of today’s most sought-after producers and multi-instrumentalists, known for his work with Alabama Shakes, Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple, and Perfume Genius as well as his own acclaimed solo albums.

Pitchfork described the duo's 2021 debut Notes With Attachments as “the sound of consummate collaborators imagining a world where there’s no such thing as a lead performer.” On That Wasn't A Dream, they further dissolve any sense of hierarchy, imbuing their spontaneous compositions with an organic, precisely balanced inner logic. It's quietly audacious, a radical application of their ever-evolving musical chemistry.

Bassist Pino Palladino has been a sought-after studio musician with many greats, including Elton John, Tears for Fears, David Gilmour, D'Angelo, and Adele. He has showcased his jazz talent with Manu Katché, Dominic Miller, and others. In 2021, Impulse! Records released "Notes with Attachments," his first collaboration with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills. The mix of jazz, minimalist funk, indie rock, and subtle melodies was well-received by listeners and critics alike, and has even drawn comparisons to Joni Mitchell's "Hejira" and Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew." Now Palladino and Mills return with their second album together, continuing and evolving their unique sound.

That Wasn't a Dream was recorded over a two-month period in the legendary Studio A at Sound City Studios, the room Mills has helmed since 2018. These sessions pulled in collaborators old and new, most notably Sam Gendel, who performed throughout Notes With Attachments and contributed finishing touches for nearly every track on That Wasn’t a Dream. Though ultimately, this record feels like a deepening of the core relationship between Palladino and Mills.

If Notes With Attachments was about creating cohesion out of layered spontaneity, That Wasn’t a Dream finds coherence through restraint. As Palladino explains, some of the compositions grew from harmonically dense ideas that were later reduced to the barest essentials. "It came to light, really, that if we could make something work with the least possible ingredients, space could become the centerpiece," says Palladino.

It was also a chance to innovate; one early Palladino sketch, "What Is Wrong With You?," was Mills’s first opportunity to experiment with the prototype of a new instrument, the fretless baritone sustainer guitar, which Mills helped luthier Duncan Price to develop in 2021, and has since been used on numerous productions, as well as live performances with Joni Mitchell.

"The fretless sustainer can sound almost like a cross between a woodwind, brass, and bowed string instrument,” says Mills. “It’s a tough instrument to control or define.” That undefinable sound, along with a playful approach to minimalism, set the tone for the rest of the album’s writing and recording sessions that would take place almost three years later.

As a result, the music on That Wasn’t A Dream goes from being deceptively intimate to beautifully disordered. It’s music that rewards close listening: subversive but naturalistic, harnessing chaos with intention, unveiling new forms of beauty all along the way.

Pino Palladino, bass
Blake Mills, guitars, fretless baritone sustainer guitar
Sam Gendel, saxophones

Pino Palladino & Blake Mills
Bassist Pino Palladino (D’Angelo, Nine Inch Nails, Erykah Badu, John Mayer) and guitarist and producer Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes, Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple, Perfume Genius) reunite with That Wasn’t a Dream, their second collaborative instrumental album that builds on the deep chemistry they first explored on 2021’s Notes With Attachments, expanding it into a meditative, boundary-pushing sonic world. The sophomore record blurs lines between composition and improvisation, melody and abstraction. With contrapuntal interplay by sometimes unidentifiable instruments, it’s a project defined by ambiguity, restraint, and the radical beauty of listening closely.

Pino Palladino
A Grammy-winning bassist and producer, Pino Palladino has been a foundational figure in shaping the sound of modern soul, funk, and rock over the last four decades. Known for his groundbreaking fretless bass work on D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Black Messiah, Palladino has recorded and toured with artists ranging from The Who and Paul Simon to Erykah Badu, Adele, and John Mayer. His melodic phrasing and rhythmic intuition have made him one of the most revered session musicians of our time.

Blake Mills
is a Grammy-winning producer, guitarist, and songwriter whose adventurous solo work and collaborations have continually pushed the boundaries of modern music. From his early days with Simon Dawes to producing Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color and creating immersive works like Mutable Set and Jelly Road, Mills blends technical precision with an experimental edge. His collaborations with Palladino—including 2021’s Notes with Attachments—reveal a deep musical rapport rooted in curiosity and range.

This album contains no booklet.