by alex grainger
photo courtesy of milk & bone
Milk & Bone released their latest single “Movies” July 28th. The duo’s “sunniest” single yet is notably one which reveals a new sound as “Movies” is their first single with guitar as the main instrument. “Movies,” the third single released ahead of their upcoming album, comes after their three year break, and shares the powerful message to never settle. The release of “Movies” is accompanied by the announcement of the duo’s upcoming album, Chrysalism dropping October 28th. Read more about “Movies” and Milk & Bone below!
Can you tell us what “Movies” is about?
Milk & Bone: “Dating is hard. But it’s harder when you don’t share the same language or love languages. ‘Movies’ is about the moment in a situationship when you have to decide if you want to keep working on issues that arise or if you should just give up. And I think a part of growth is also knowing your worth and not settling.”
What was the creative process behind “Movies?” How did you decide to make this single your first ever with guitar as the main instrument?
Milk & Bone: “We’ve always been a synth based band mostly because we’re both synth players and our collaborators were also synth based people. Our new album’s producer Micah is the first person we’ve ever worked with whose main instrument is actually the guitar. We wanted him to be a big part of the record, and his ideas often took form with the guitar. I think producing most of the record in LA also made it a bit warmer. Guitar’s a warm instrument, right?”
What is the message you are sending to listeners of “Movies?”
Milk & Bone: “Don’t settle. Listen to your gut. We usually ignore the first red flags but they tend to be the most important.”
How has your sound developed from your first album Little Mourning (2015) to now with your latest release “Movies?”
Milk & Bone: “After a three year break from performing live and creating new music for the band, we felt so excited to get back to work. We took a lot of time to talk about where we were in our personal lives, what we wanted to share with our fans and how we wanted to approach this next Milk & Bone era. One of the most important things moving forward was that we wanted to have fun performing our new songs on a stage. We still have this very intimate way of writing songs, but they tend to be more pop and upbeat, the vocals are more produced. ‘Movies’ is a great example of that.”
You mention how “Movies” is about the dilemma between becoming the perfect partner or staying true to oneself. Did writing this song prompt you to look deeper into the relationships in your lives? What, if at all, did this teach you about your relationships, how you viewed them, and where they were going?
Milk & Bone: “I mean one of us wrote this song while she was questioning if she should stay in a relationship or not. She’s not in the relationship anymore. :) I think this song was an attempt at standing my ground and convincing myself that I needed to get out of this relationship. Let’s just say after you write a song like this and read it back, it’s hard to not see the obvious.”
Do both of you have a favorite lyric in “Movies?” One that is especially powerful or meaningful?
Lau: “I think mine would be ‘All the love notes that you wrote, painted a picture that wasn’t for me.’ Mostly because it speaks about something that truly hurt me, yet made me much more ready for better relationships. It’s just super personal and a good reminder that I’m better off. ;)”
Cami: ”’Pick me up where you dropped me off, my safe words they don’t work out here.’ This is kind of my inner child screaming inside, yelling at me that this is not where I’m supposed to be, that I’m not being listened to or heard. And that’s just a very precise depiction of how I was feeling.”
Is this single a reflection of the process or did you create it while either or both of you were facing this dilemma in the moment?
Milk & Bone: “Oh, 100% facing the dilemma. Like most of our songs, lol.”
How did you decide to release “Movies” as a single ahead of your upcoming album Chrysalism?
Milk & Bone: “Honestly we were obsessed with it as soon as we had finished it. It’s the sunniest of our singles so far, and I think we really needed the breath of fresh air in this summertime period. The album goes in all directions, but this one is definitely special.”
photo by lian benoit
You’re dropping your new album Chrysalism on October 28th. What can you tell us about the album?
Milk & Bone: “We don’t wanna say too much! This record is a new way of working for us. More spur of the moment songs, more raw emotion. We’ve also definitely grown a bunch in the past few years (as women but also as humans ((ie: a pandemic))). This is our best record yet.”
Chrysalism comes post your pandemic induced break. How did the pandemic impact this album? Have you learned any valuable lessons as artists during this time?
Milk & Bone: “This forced time off was in a way a true gift for us. It reminded us that we need to take a break from time to time. But also that to stay relevant, we need time off to allow ourselves to feel, to reflect on where we’re at in our hearts and life. It felt so good to realize how many things we had to share and all we had realized only because we had the time to truly be alone with our thoughts and feelings. We will certainly make sure we create a better work balance, so we hopefully continue growing as artists and share meaningful things.”