Milk Music

Milk Music

Milk Music are an American group from Olympia, Washington, active from 2008 to 2023. They are a loud four-piece whose music is described as cosmic, electric soul rock, with songs centred on life and the human condition. Their sound is often compared with Wipers, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Hüsker Dü, the Velvet Underground, the Gun Club and the Meat Puppets.

Releases and approach

From their eponymous 2009 demo tape onwards, Milk Music release their records and cassettes themselves in order to keep control over production and presentation. Their self-released output includes the 2009 Milk Music demo cassette, the Beyond Living EP on 12-inch 45 rpm in 2010, the Almost Live cassette in 2012, and the vinyl edition of Cruise Your Illusion in 2013, with the CD and MP3 versions issued through Fat Possum.

Collaborations and split releases

In January 2011, Milk Music appear on a split 7-inch flexidisc with Carrie Keith on NUTS! fanzine issue #6. They also release USA '13 in 2014 as a split LP with Merchandise and Destruction Unit through 540, including versions of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Effigy" and Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" alongside the original track "Thrashing in the Unknown".

Session work and discography notes

The group also records a WFMU radio session, and their early catalogue is built around self-released vinyl and cassette formats, with the first thousand copies of Beyond Living self-released and later copies partly issued by Perennial. Their recorded output is framed by an emphasis on maintaining quality control and working on their own terms.