Mynd Reader have released their new single “Straight On Through,” the latest preview of their forthcoming acoustic EP Sunday Drive, arriving October 16, 2026.
The stripped-back track puts the focus on vocalist Shelby Kemp, whose gritty, soulful delivery gives the song an intimate weight while offering another side of Mynd Reader’s roots-rock sound.
For drummer, bandleader and songwriter Brian Sachs, the song centers on the fear and vulnerability that can come with letting someone in.
“So many of us protect ourselves from being vulnerable and feeling pain,” Sachs explains. “What’s scarier than falling in love? This song is about letting that protection down regardless of all the doubts and fears and taking a leap of faith into love.”
“Straight On Through” will appear on Sunday Drive, a six-song EP combining new material with acoustic reinterpretations of songs from Mynd Reader’s self-titled debut.
The project also represents an unusual role for Grammy-winning engineer Michael Brauer, whose credits include The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, Aretha Franklin and James Brown. After mixing Mynd Reader’s debut album, Brauer returned not only to mix Sunday Drive, but also to produce the project.
“Brian asked if I would produce it. And so I did, because I loved the songs,” Brauer says. “I heard them with a gentle, easygoing, early Faces-meets-Free raw approach. Two days in the studio, and we came out with six songs that feel timeless.”
The band introduced the EP last month with “Still Uncertain,” an acoustic-driven song inspired by Sachs’ late bandmate Tony Brito and a late-night drive home the two shared after a gig. The track also became part of Mynd Reader’s first New York City performance at Lucinda’s on September 18.
That return to New York carries extra significance for Sachs.
Before Mynd Reader, the Colorado-based drummer spent the 1990s performing with New York funk-rock band The Authority, a group that played more than 200 shows a year and shared stages with Phish, Blues Traveler and Dave Matthews Band.
The band appeared positioned for a larger breakthrough before a series of setbacks changed its trajectory, including the death of manager Bill Graham and the collapse of a potential deal involving Ice Cube.
After The Authority dissolved, Sachs moved west to Boulder and eventually stepped away from performing in his own band for decades.
That changed in 2022 when he reconnected with multi-instrumentalist Tonin. Casual jam sessions in Sachs’ basement developed into a new band built around their mutual love of ’70s rock, blues and roots music.
With Kemp eventually joining on vocals and Zach Jackson on bass and vocals, Mynd Reader took shape.
Sachs and Tonin now write the band’s songs together, something Sachs says he never expected would become such a central part of his musical life.
“For a drummer to write a song about love playing two chords on a guitar, I can get fired from any band really quickly with that!” Sachs jokes.
That unexpected second chapter has become central to Mynd Reader. The band’s music carries plenty of classic-rock influence, but its story is equally rooted in rediscovering creativity after believing that chapter of life had already closed.
Sunday Drive continues that idea.
Along with “Still Uncertain” and “Straight On Through,” the EP includes the soulful “Soundtrack of Life,” plus new acoustic versions of “Simply Avanti,” “Radio Warning” and “Mourning Light.” The six-song project will bridge the gap between Mynd Reader’s debut and another full-length studio album currently expected in summer 2027.
As the band continues creating new material, Sachs says he is trying not to take the renewed momentum for granted.
“These songs are coming; I don’t know where they’re coming from, and I just hope they keep coming,” he says. “It’s like the songs chose us; they chose us for a reason, and our point in all of this is to honor the songs.”
Sunday Drive Tracklist
- Still Uncertain
- Soundtrack of Life
- Straight On Through (Sunday Drive Edition)
- Simply Avanti (Sunday Drive Edition)
- Radio Warning (Sunday Drive Edition)
- Mourning Light (Sunday Drive Edition)
Mynd Reader Tour Dates
October 16 – Denver, CO – Goose Town Tavern
October 17 – Boulder, CO – Paradise Found Records
Sunday Drive arrives October 16, 2026.
Photo Credit: Lisa Siciliano / Dog Daze Photo
