Music Spotlight: MILKK

Indie-pop trio MILKK aims to bring something fresh to the music scene, and their new single All to Myself doesn’t disappoint. The band, composed of Pat Kiloran, Jack Vondrachek + John Ogelby, is taking a turn from the somber, heavier themes they explored in their debut album HEADRUSH—released earlier this year—to express feel-good melodies + lyricism in All to Myself. We’re loving the lighthearted, smooth beat + flawless blend of pop + rap elements. We chatted with vocalist Pat all about the track, embracing love songs + his newfound love for anime.

photo by Nolan Knight

Asymmetric Magazine: Congrats on your recent release! Can you tell us about All to Myself and what it means to you?
Pat Kiloran: I wrote All to Myself with another artist in Nashville. We were originally trying to write something for her, but within a few minutes, I knew we needed to put this out ourselves. So, I finished the song and production that day and sent it around to everyone right away. Our album we released this spring was very internal and often quite sad and dark, so I have been strictly focused on writing love songs for the past few months in order to create something completely different, emotionally speaking. All to Myself is the first taste of that.

AM: You also just released a lyric video for the song, can you tell us a little about that, as well?
PK: The video was literally thought up in about five minutes and recorded in one take in downtown Nashville on an old semi-broken 90's camcorder. It's really dumb, and I love it. It's just me dancing badly in a public place while the other guys sit there. And I attempted to translate Japanese for the subtitles. I probably did a bad job.

AM: What do you want people to feel when they listen to this song?
PK: Our last release was pretty sad, which makes sense because that's where I was at when I wrote it. But I feel like I've closed the book on that period of my life, so I wanted to try something else. I thought it'd be great to just give people some songs they can sing really loud in the car or dance in their shower to or listen to while they get ready for a first date.

AM: We love your album art! How do you think it complements your sound?
PK: I don't know if it directly does, but I've been incessantly watching anime the last month or two, and it has made me feel things in new ways. It's such a new genre to me, so it's really inspiring. There are some shows that have really captured my attention and honestly moved me. That might sound funny because you think, ‘Oh, it's anime. Lol.’ But it's new to me, and it's unique and passionate. And I want people to hear our new music and feel the same thing—’This is fresh. This is personal. This is real.’

AM: For first time listeners, how do you like to describe your sound?
PK: Well, that's hard because it keeps changing, and it's never been just one thing. Some songs sound like you're on the dance floor going off, but you're also openly weeping. Others sound like you're the awkward kid in high school that no one believes in, but you're going to prove them all wrong. I feel like the new stuff just encapsulates ‘summer’. In one way or another, I just wanna roll my windows down and blast these songs. Instead of trying to make people think, I'm just trying to make them chill.

AM: Are there any consistent themes you typically pursue through your music?
PK: I write about my relationship a lot. I write about my own insecurities, issues and shortcomings a lot. I make fun of myself a lot. I just like to write about being human.

I just like to write about being human.

AM: What other musicians are you currently listening to?
PK: If it's on ‘Rap Caviar,’ probably that. Tyler, The Creator's new album. Juice WRLD, Lil Uzi, Justin Bieber, Kanye, Frank Ocean. And apparently, the Frozen soundtrack, according to my Spotify.

AM: Where is one place that you feel completely in touch with your creative self and your music?
PK: When I find it, I'll let you know. But I work everyday whether I feel ‘it’ or not.

AM: What can we expect to hear from you next?
PK: Probably something no one is expecting, because we're MILKK.

// listen to headrush:

// Listen to more MILKK on Spotify.