Mia Wilson is the debut album from Southern California singer-songwriter Mia Wilson. Produced by Tim Ramsey (Vetiver, Little Wings, Kacey Johansing), the album blends piano and guitar based compositions with lush orchestral arrangements to create a backdrop for Wilson’s introspective lyrics and captivating mezzo-soprano vocals. The album recalls the golden glow of late 60’s & early 70’s LA records like Carole King’s Tapestry, Judee Sill’s Heart Food, and Jackson Browne’s Late For the Sky.
Wilson and her partner Skyler Lusteg began writing the songs that would make up the album in 2021, just before meeting Ramsey and drummer Trevor Beld Jimenez (Fruit Bats, Tall Tales and the Silver Living, GospelbeacH) while opening for the their band Parting Lines on California’s Central Coast. Ramsey and Beld Jimenez encouraged Wilson and Lusteg to record a full length album, offering to breathe new life into their songs in the studio.
The majority of the album was recorded live over the course of three days in 2024 at 64 Sound in Los Angeles with Tyler Karmen (Sharon Van Etten, Alvvays, Richard Edwards) as engineer. The rest of the album was tracked in Ramsey’s home studio Endless Sound, with the exception of a studio session at Altamira Sound in Alhambra, CA with engineer Carly Bond (Meernaa). David Glasebrook (Patti Smith, Michael Nau, Sam Burton) later mastered the album at his studio The Garden Shed in Oakland, CA.
The majority of the album was recorded live over the course of three days in 2024 at 64 Sound in Los Angeles with Tyler Karmen (Sharon Van Etten, Alvvays, Richard Edwards) as engineer. The rest of the album was tracked in Ramsey’s home studio Endless Sound, with the exception of a studio session at Altamira Sound in Alhambra, CA with engineer Carly Bond (Meernaa). David Glasebrook (Patti Smith, Michael Nau, Sam Burton) later mastered the album at his studio The Garden Shed in Oakland, CA.
Lead single “It Must Be So Easy” explores existential themes of yearning & desire against a backdrop of piano, strings, and backing vocals by Alina Hardin, recalling early Harry Nillson. “I Want It All” came to Wilson and Lusteg all at once, both a paen to youthful joie de vivre and a bittersweet realization that there’s only so much time, featuring gorgeous strings courtesy of Kaitlin Wolfberg; while “Face To Face” features a Bass VI solo courtesy of Ramsey, a multi-instrumentalist with many contributions to the album, recalling Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman”.
