Montreal-based electro-pop duo Milk & Bone just released their third album, Chrysalism, a word defined by the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows as the “tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm.” Thematically, I listened to the album as Vancouver started its much-needed pouring spree. Rain pattered on my window as the synth arpeggios echoed in the four walls of my living room, giving me the sensation of Pop Rocks candy crackling through my body.
While Milk & Bone’s sugar-coated vocal harmonies and electronic production create addictive cyborgian melodies, the lyrics about love, longing and heartbreak ground the album. As their first release since the pandemic started, the songs are told from the perspective of “actors in the storyline of their lives.”
“Object of Fun” perfectly demonstrates the sense of agency embedded in their lyrics. Their affirmations against the male gaze like, “I’m a person of earth too / I equal all my sums,” beckon you to sing along and reclaim your subjectivity.
My favourite track and the album opener, “Bigger Love,” carries feelings of longing with electrifying intensity. Milk & Bone’s vocal harmonies cut into the synth soundscape like sharp lasers as the melody builds up in speed and intensity to the declaration “I’m not moving I’m not going / You’re gonna have to remove me with a truck.” The bridge that follows is blissful and perfect for stomping through puddles.
“Borders” struck me immediately by its ethereal ambiance alongside feelings of hope and longing that felt relatable. The climactic storytelling matches the sense of urgency in the melody as the duo unravels the story of a long-distance relationship falling apart.
“A Little Better Every Time” is an angelic ballad with heartbreaking lyrics “steeped in both fury and tenderness.” It captivates the raw emotions that accompany standing up for yourself and beginning to heal. When they sang “getting better with the breakdowns,” I really felt that.
The talented voices and musicians behind the name Milk & Bone are Laurence Lafond-Beaulne (Soft Fabric) and Camille Poliquin (KROY). They won the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year in 2019 after a nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year in 2016. Chrysalism solidifies that they’re going places.
