Back in June, Travis Mills revealed that he had been working on a musical side project amongst all his other activities. A few years ago Mills made the conscious decision to walk away from music. In an intimate letter to fans Travis broke down what had been going on behind closed doors – the letter reads in part, “3 or 4 years ago I walked away from music. I was depressed, scared, ashamed and I felt defeated. The thing that I loved since I was a kid started feeling like a job. It all began to feel so transactional….The more I pushed the more I lost….I was blessed to have found other opportunities outside of being an artist that allowed me to be creative, feel validated and create a new life for myself…But none of it came close to being on stage in front of the people who supported me from day one. You never gave up on me and I could never say thank you enough. This time away showed me everything I did wrong and how I could do it right if I had another chance. Sometime you have to let go of the things you love and if they come back to you they were always meant for you….This is for you, this is for me, this is for all of us.”

With no new music in the last few years, fans were overjoyed to find out that they would be welcoming back their beloved Cali rapper in a new setting. Alongside drummer, Nick Gross, Travis unleashed girlfriends and their first single “California”. The bouncy track made for the perfect summer hit to jam out every night in a front of a bonfire or cruise down the sunset strip arms waves high. On MTV’s Friday Livestream, girlfriends premiered the first 30 seconds of the video, leaving fans begging for more. But today the duo unveils the full official music video for the single – and it’s brilliant beyond words.

With the theme of the video being Travis and Nick auditioning for the part of girlfriends, the video kicks off with the duo performing in a front of a white studio backdrop as it cuts to various scenes our talented musicians must tackle head-on. From electrocutions to interrogations to a handful of fun wigs – the “California” music video elevates this fun-loving track to greater heights. Though the track has one of the jazziest beats of any 2020 release, the lyrics speak on a deep-rooted feeling of being so wrapped up in a relationship and completely immersing yourself in your partner that you lose yourself. Stuck trying to find yourself or discover who you truly are for the first time – “California” comes off as the sarcastic response you’d expect from Chandler Bing [Friends] when asked how he was doing after a breakup and feeling stuck at his job.

When talking about making the music video, Nick shares, “Getting to shoot this video for ‘California’ was an epic experience. Travis and I being able to act in multiple scenes outside of just our performance shots was what ties this entire thing together. I think fans will love the energy of this video and get a few laughs out of it.” Produced by the legendary, John Feldmann [who makes a cameo in the music video] – “California” becomes the perfect welcoming for girlfriends as a group. With the single paying homage to the musicians that influence them on the daily – like Blink-182, 5 Seconds Of Summer, The 1975, Phoenix, and All Time Low – girlfriends become the ultimate project for these two acclaimed musicians. Accumulating a whirlwind of knowledge since his start at 17, Travis shared what it was like to break into the band as a more evolved musician, “It came from a genuine place. I’d be stressed out, or bawling my eyes out, and the songs would come very organically. If we ever spent more than an hour trying to figure out a hook or a verse, we scrapped it and just kept moving. This project is different from anything else I’ve ever done.”  

Check out the official music video for “California” and see if Travis and Nick make it past auditions. Don’t lose that hype though, as August 21 will release the next step for this delightful pop-punk duo.

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The music video for “California” features guest appearances from John Feldmann, Hayden Tree, Davis Chitlik, Caity Tree, Paulina Shafir, and Lindsey Sterling.