The stage setup was cleverly designed with mics and equipment facing each other from two sides. This not only offered a balance between Lafond-Beaulne and Poliquin, but also let the crowd into the pair’s onstage dance party, which they wonderfully maintained throughout their entire set. And, despite their latest album’s somber tone, the set did feel like a sort of celebratory event—a return to the spontaneity and palpable energy of live music.

Opening with “Worst Year of My Life”, ironically the last track on their album, the duo were quick to show off their powerful vocals—a complimentary, signature sound that was on display throughout the night. Moving into some older music, and undoubted crowd-pleasers, like “Coconut Water” and, later, “Pressure”, there is a unique fluidity to a Milk & Bone show that may be rooted in the fact that you’re not only watching two dedicated musicians perform. But the two friends have a deep understanding of each other as artists and are having a blast onstage. This hit especially strong in “Bigger Love” and “Movies”, which got the crowd bopping just a bit harder. Offering slower, emotionally-charged moments in “A Little Better Every Time”, which saw the pair change it up onstage by standing acoustics-style side-by-side with a guitar, the show delivered a range of emotions.

Consistently on-point aesthetically, the set shifted between blue, red, and rainbow. The pair’s curated looks seemed to be a Gen Z nineties nod, featuring all-black wardrobes that are similarly present throughout their albums and videos. For Lafond-Beaulne and Poliquin, who have been working on Milk & Bone for eight years, the show was a snapshot in the evolution of their artisthoods, and felt approachable but perhaps more confident and gelled together when compared with previous performances. A delightful, dreamy, dance party.

The post Live in Toronto: Milk & Bone return to the world of performance appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Milk & Bone, the dreamy electropop duo based out of Montreal, have been making music together for eight years. They recently celebrated this milestone via the release of their third full-length album, Chrysalism. Comprised of long-time pals, Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin, (who you’d be forgiven for assuming to be sisters), Milk & Bone have not only grown-up together, and through their music, but have also grown more confident in their sound. QUIP caught up with the pair to talk about creating their latest album during the pandemic, crafting an authentic aesthetic, and what can be learned from heartbreak and healing.

Laura Eley: Your third album, Chrysalism, came out in October 2022. How was it influenced by the pandemic?

Camille Poliquin (CP): If you look at the title of the album, it’s called “Chrysalism”, and I feel it was a way of looking into this bubble of introspection that the pandemic kind of forced us to get into. I think everything got heightened emotionally; we were all forced to look within ourselves and spend more time just being in our own company. So many things in everyone’s lives got influenced by the fact that we were either separated for long periods of time or stuck together for longer periods of time; I think everyone who created something during the pandemic is going to [have] this little time capsule of how we all felt during that time. And Chrysalism is definitely that.

LE: How have things changed in the music world since the start of the pandemic?

CP: I think it’s how we connect to the audience and to each other; if you’re not a person who finds comfort on the Internet, I think that’s a hard thing to come back to. I made so many friends during the pandemic online; I’m an Internet person, so I find comfort in that, for sure, but I think [Laurence] is different… Like, the Taylor Swift and Beyonce tickets are being released today, and everyone’s super stoked to get those tickets, but for shows like us, for mid-popularity bands like us, I feel like people don’t buy tickets much in advance anymore, because who knows if you’re going to be able to make it at that time.

Our reflexes changed, too; for us, the way that we gauge if people are excited about our project has completely changed. We have to find our new little anchors to figure out how to navigate this and how to connect with people—and that’s why I think it’s so exciting that we’re going to go on tour soon. I can’t wait to be in the room with people and really assess that.

LE: It’s been eight years since the release of your first album. How have your identities changed as artists?

Laurence Lafond-Beaulne (LLB): The main thing for me would be confidence. I don’t have to prove myself as much as I used to, to others. I always want to prove myself to myself, I always want to push my limits and get outside of my comfort zone, but I think there’s this thing in me that doesn’t want to please as much as before, and that’s very freeing. There’s probably a thing of also entering my 30s and getting older, but I think experience is part of it for sure.

CP: One thing I do notice is kind of a negative thing, but it’s over-analysis. A first record, you have no idea what’s awaiting you, and you kind of treat it like an activity you do with your friend. And there’s no “I wonder what people are going to think” or “how does this compare to other work that people have known me by?”, and all that stuff. So, I think for me that’s what’s majorly changed – the way I overanalyze sometimes. That’s definitely something I want to work on getting back to – a simplicity of work. But, at the same time, I love the experience. I love that I’m conscious of all that, but I think it’s important to be able to separate the two and let go.

LE: Many tracks from Chrysalism are focused on love and relationships and heartbreak. What is one thing that heartbreak has taught you?

LLB: During the pandemic, I experienced the biggest heartbreak I have ever experienced in my life. It was probably the first big, real one that wasn’t 15-year-old me. I think what I learned is that I had all of the tools in me, even if I didn’t know it. Mostly, that I can sit with pain, I can sit with my discomfort. I have this lucky gift of being an easily happy person, and going through a period like that, a year of very big pain, was very troubling for me because I felt like didn’t have the tools to deal with it. I think, what I learned most, is that it’s OK to feel discomfort and pain and they will go away eventually. Trying to actively make them go away doesn’t work.

CP: Me, being [Laurence’s] creative partner and very long-time friend seeing her in that state, you want to tell the person, “it’s going to go away—you don’t believe me right now, but it’s going to go away”. There’s no point in telling that to someone who’s going through it because it’s just frustrating. It’s frustrating for the person to feel like, “OK, but not today”.

LLB: It’s also, like, it’s not going to be the last time in life that I’m going to feel those things… I’m glad I learned all of that, and I’m glad that now I know I can go through that. It sucked; I hope it doesn’t happen too much.

CP: I just thought of something – our first album was called, Little Mourning, maybe this album should have been called…

CP & LLB: “Big Mourning” (laughing)

LLB: One thing that a friend told me, that was probably the best advice I got, was, “you cannot take a step back while mourning. You don’t go back—you always move forward, even if it doesn’t feel that way”. When you experience deep mourning, a big period of deep sadness, you feel like you’re stuck or you’re going back or not making progress. That’s not a thing. You’re always making progress.

LE: Can you speak to the idea of self-abandonment in relationships—an experience that seems to be captured in “A Little Better Every Time”?

CP: I think… it’s us coming into our thirties, when you realize that, yeah, a relationship is so important, and to give in to the other person and to make compromises is really important, in order to have a successful relationship, but at the same time, if that means to make yourself little for the other’s person’s comfort… I feel that’s a very feminine trait to do – we’re taught to belittle ourselves for someone else’s comfort and cater to. It’s definitely something we want to stop doing… we shouldn’t change ourselves in order to be accepted by a partner.

LE: Let’s talk about your aesthetic. How do you decide what your videos will look like?

CP: For this album cycle, we really wanted to add someone to the team in terms of creative…and that was Lian Benoit; she is a Montreal creative director. It was so good to have another member of the team to bounce ideas with; I feel, you know, we’ve done two albums, there are so many things that happened, and then with the pandemic… it was really good to add a person with a vision of the band from the outside. We don’t know how, anymore, how we’re being perceived. It was so refreshing to have someone let us know, this is how I see you, this is your personality…

This album is a bit dark. One of the first images we had in mind was nature growing out of concrete. A very – it’s going to get better, but right now it’s not the best, but what’s coming is fresh and new. And that was also the genesis of the choice of colours we chose for the album. It’s dark but it’s also very green, it’s also very new. That was the spark that started the whole visual direction of the album. We also wanted to be extra. We went with the nails, and the makeup, and the hair… We’re also more comfortable with ourselves and our bodies…

LLB: I think in the past, we were trying to find this middle ground and make ourselves bland. And now we’re like, OK, this is never going to work. We’re really different, and that’s what’s great about the band. Let’s accentuate and play with that – and that’s what we did in this project. And, we feel so much better, because we feel like we’re us – one hundred percent. Extra, of course, but that’s something we wanted to do differently for sure.

* * *

Catch Milk & Bone this March and April at select shows throughout the U.S. and Canada.

As for Canadian artists recommended by Milk & Bone? Make sure to check out: Anna Sofia, Gabrielle Shonk, Men I Trust, and Munya.

The post Life, love, and music during a pandemic with Montreal’s Milk & Bone appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Thursday night at Toronto’s Mod Club offered a snapshot of Canada’s healthy electro-indie landscape.

Marking the start of Milk & Bone’s North American and European tour, the evening kicked off with Oshawa’s very own Dizzy — a young, four-piece band producing dreamy, electronic tracks, a la Purity Ring. Fronted by Katie Munshaw, a songstress with a rich voice and humble presence, the band played a series of synthesized tracks to a genuinely engaged crowd. Leaving their current hit, “Swim”, until the end, other highlights included their track, “Joshua” which, Munshaw explained, was written about a boy who, by breaking her heart taught her to lean on friends and music.

Milk & Bone took the stage framed by a geometric light show that bordered their position, mid-stage, side-by-side. The Montreal-based duo (Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne) are signed to Bonsound, and have been making music together since 2013.

This particular show marked the first stop of Milk & Bone’s tour promoting their sophomore album, Deception Bay, released in early February. Naturally, many of the new tracks made their live debut that night. Offering an eclectic mix of electro-pop, dream-washed tracks that straddle the line between light and dark, Poliquin and Lafond-Beaulne quickly threw it back to their 2015 album, Little Mourning, with crowd pleaser “Coconut Water”.

The newer songs feel a bit heavier than those on their last album, and the women have honed a strong unity that’s particularly evident through their harmonies. Songs including “KIDS”, “Sad Eyes”, and “Daydream” were haunting.

Taking a few moments to dance to the ongoing light show around them, and share their love for the crowd, the show was, in a word: dreamy.

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The blissed-out techno-pop of Montreal’s Milk & Bone seemed like it was made for the space at Constellation, where the duo of Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin performed on Friday, April 7. The space is a contradiction, a haven of quiet, mellow cool abutting a busy street leading to the highway. Lately, the stretch of Western Avenue that it sits along feels crowded and taken over by construction, but the venue is spacious, intimate and imbued by hazy red lighting in the entrance that sets the tone for concerts taking place.

Local musician Jessica Risker (also known as Deadbeat) kicked off the show in a simple, beautiful way. The seated crowd surrounded her on three sides. She began her set by strumming and singing blissful melodies accompanied by imagery projected on a screen, harkening back to an earlier place and time. It reminded me a good deal of the background projections at an Arcade Fire show, slightly odd, very captivating; movement in a way that looked like an optical illusion.

Risker finished up her set with one of the most unique performances I’ve ever witnessed. She played 20 lullabies she composed for her family’s newest addition, rolling them through the music box apparatus playing the notes before they floated quietly to the floor, a pile gathering beside her. It was a hypnotizing display that set a mood of pristine, melodic calm before Milk & Bone took the stage.

Camille and Laurence entered the performance area just as Risker wrapped up her calming, inventive set with an air of sophistication that spoke to their Montreal provenance. Laurence in a messy bun and Camille draped in all black, they set up their gear and played their first notes and as the crowd returned from the bar and settled in their seats. A sparse set up – two keyboards, two sound mixers, and two drum kits – was all the girls needed to create a spectacle befitting their mellow music. “Coconut Water” kicked off the set, with its sweet synth beats and lyrics filled with longing. Milk & Bone’s songs spin tales of romantic daydreams, the perfect accompaniment for a cold Chicago evening. Their performance let the vocals take center stage, Laurence’s voice showcasing a soaring sweetness and Camille’s a dazzling, jazzy quality.

Singer Camille announced early in the performance that this was her first show in 10 days, after overcoming an illness that put her on vocal rest for days. The haunting, harmonious vocals filled the space, especially in the performances of songs like their latest single “Poison”, the upbeat “Daydream” and the final number, “New York”. The aching anguish of losing a romance to the big city, and further shutting the door by moving was on translated beautifully as Laurence, with her agile voice, swooned wistfully over the song’s lingering notes.

A truly endearing moment of the performance is the joy that clearly registered on the faces of the women when members of the audience started to dance on stage to their songs. Camille cried out, “Nobody does this!” when the group started swirling closer still as they grooved along with “Shore” and “Watch”. The final number was made even more special when Milk & Bone invited the audience to sit on the floor of the stage with them, the participants no more than 5 feet away from the performers.

The duo recently performed at SXSW in Austin and create music that feels personal, yet relatable to that legion of us who work through heartbreak by listening to that particular song or album that strikes a chord. Be on the lookout for these two.

The post Embracing the chill with Milk & Bone appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin have a rather charming presence, but we already knew that, having spent a bit of time with the duo during NXNE. As soon as Lafond-Beaulne and Poliquin took the stage, discussion of their cuteness ensued in the crowd. Their music, however, is not of the cotton-candy-cute kind.

Milk & Bone’s sounds are stories of heartbreak and strange recovery (“Coconut Water”). Their debut album Little Mourning is mostly built around acoustic simplicity based on melodic keyboards with an occasional synth punch. Their voices are in perfect sync and complement each other in harmony.

Lafond-Beaulne and Poliquin played out the songs from Little Mourning and a “very small song” that they only play live, a short track with minimal strings that will remain unnamed. Early tracks like “Pressure” were clearly a big hit with the Toronto crowd. 

The show was a subtle success (not quite the music to have a wild party to) and the girls are cruising through the music industry smilingly behind the scenes. Their collaborations are all carefully selected (Jason Bajada, Les Soeurs Boulay, Terrell Morris, and more recently Chilly Gonzales), their shows are gentle performances, and it only makes sense that the duo will take their time perfecting the next release. But we’re cool with that — we’ll be over here waiting.

The post Milk & Bone return to Toronto appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Recently in town for Canadian Music Week, we had a chance to sit down with the best friends, who – for the record – could easily pass as super kawaii sisters. Humble and down-to-earth, Camille and Laurence discussed their first album, touring, and dreams of Japan.

Laura Eley: How excited are you to be playing at CMW?

Laurence Lafond-Beaulne: It’s actually our first time playing in Toronto, so it’s a big night. And, to play for the 10th anniversary of Osheaga is very exciting.

Camille Poliquin: We’ve played in Montreal a bunch because that’s where we’re from, and we’ve been to New York a bunch, too, because we just signed on to a record label there. So, it’s really cool for us to come back and get to know elsewhere in Canada.

LE: Can you talk about being musicians in Montreal?

CP: We both studied music, so we just grew into that community of musicians, and then slowly after that we started playing with other bands. I was a back-up singer and a keyboard player, and Laurence was doing keyboards and bass and vocals for other bands as well. That community is so strong and so small and so friendly; it just made us want to be a part of it as a band ourselves.

LE: You released your debut album in April. What was that like?

LLB: It was exciting, but at the same time we’d been working on it for about a year, so it had to happen at a certain time. It was just the result of all this hard work but also a relief. Like, finally it’s out.

CP: Between the moment the album was actually done and its release, there wasn’t a lot of time. It’s always just been a huge work in progress, it’s still a work in progress. The launch of the album was the moment when people could actually hear what we’re doing, but it wasn’t like an “oh, we’re done”. It’s part of the story of the band; it’s a milestone. It’s a moment when things started to happen; we left the studio, and started presenting it to people.

LLB: It’s exciting to finally be able to present it to the people. That’s the best part.

LE: Do you have a preference between performing and the recording process?

CP: We work in steps and we really enjoy working in the studio together. Right now we enjoy perfecting our set and knowing we’re still working on it, and knowing “oh that didn’t work” or “that worked really well”. We love playing so much, it’s so simple; it’s just the two of us on stage and fun between friends in front of a lot of people. I don’t think there’s anything better than that.

LE: Is there less pressure while performing as a group versus as a solo artist? 

LLB: I’ve never been a solo artist but the idea kind of freaks me out. I’m really glad I’m with Camille.

CP: I had my own solo project and I can actually see the two universes, how they work. I wouldn’t say it’s a different pressure… but I see that people perceive the projects differently, as a duo project or a solo project. If something doesn’t work quite right I can split the guilt with her. [laughs]

LLB: We’ll share the guilt.

LE: You were friends before forming Milk & Bone. How is that different than, say, a band who met on Craigslist? 

CP: I think it’s a very different relationship as a band. Being friends and then starting a band together — being a team — we know each other so well. We sort of knew our song writing universes could merge and make something beautiful together.

LLB: It’s really intense to go on tour with someone.

CP: I can’t imagine going on tour with anyone else except for Laurence. I’m wondering how people who meet on Craigslist do it. I’m sure it’s better to be best friends or meet on Craigslist, but not just be [casual] friends, because when you just kind of know the person I’m guessing tensions could come in. It’s like being engaged.

LE: Has there been a moment with Milk & Bone where you’ve thought: “this is it, we’ve made it”? 

CP: For us, it started before that. We started making a living out of it before starting our band, so even if our band didn’t work out, we would still be doing music which took away a lot of the pressure of “making it” as a band. We knew that if people didn’t like Milk & Bone we wouldn’t be going back to a job we didn’t like —

LLB: — Our job was playing for other artists.

CP: Yeah. So, it was like, if this works out “cool”, and if it doesn’t we’ll still be doing music together and enjoying ourselves.

LE: You have an awesome video for your song “Coconut Water”. Can you tell me about it?

LLB: We worked with a young director, he’s really young, and we liked the first he did for another artist — it’s always these weird stories. For “Coconut Water”, it’s a really happy song, summer and beach vibes, and we didn’t want to go make some video on the beach, because that’s what you feel like the track would —

CP: — We felt like with “Coconut Water” the easiest thing to do would be to get a team and go to Venice Beach on the boardwalk and have low rider bikes and lollipops, and felt like “let’s not give them what they want, let’s go elsewhere”. So, we reached out to this director, who we knew was going to have a great idea, and we worked on the concept together. He had this great idea of having half the song be [real] people and the other half being anime, and we just loved that. We’re really into Japan ourselves, so it was a great fit for us.

LE: What’s your attraction to Japan? 

CP: Since I was a kid, I’ve always had this fascination with China and Japan, just wanting to go to Chinatown. I’d freak out and want all the outfits; all the Hello Kitty, all the colors. I’m not a colorful person, so I feel like that’s my colorful side that you can’t see.

LLB: Culturally it’s so different and it’s really interesting; it’s like the total opposite of the United States and how people react. I haven’t been there long enough to really “get it”.

LE: A year from now where do you hope to be?

LLB: A year? That’s very soon.

CP: That’s very soon. A year from now we’ll be stepping back into the studio.

LLB: Maybe even before.

CP: Absolutely. We’re always recording songs with friends and writing.

LLB: So, let’s say a year from now we’ll be in Japan.

The post Milk & Bone are just getting started appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Milk & Bone at The Great Hall: This adorable Montreal duo are more than a pair of pretty faces; they’ve got a big electronic groove that radiates throughout their performances, just as it did at The Great Hall set at CMW. Peddling dreamy vocals backed by heavily synthesized beats, Camille and Laurence, who recently released their debut album Little Mourning, opened the Osheaga 10^th Year Anniversary Party. Looking a lot more like sisters than just friends, these young women presented serious vocal power and a quiet stage presence that was both endearing and impressive. While they’re just getting started, expect to hear these two on a dream-pop electronic station near you with the likes of Young Galaxy, Purity Ring, and Grimes (Canadian power!).

K.I.D at The Great Hall: Another Osheaga anniversary showcase, these three are a force of 90s pop. The sound is reminiscent of No Doubt and The Cardigans. The band consists of Kara Lane, lead vocals, her brother Bobby MoonBeam, synth and vocals, and Alex Biro on drums. For this show the band was also joined by a rather eccentric guitar player, who may have just brought back the turtle neck plus dad jeans combo back to life. K.I.D is an acronym for Kids In Despair and whatever their despair is, it seems like a good inspiration for music. We were pleasantly surprised and heavily entertained by the stories and synchronized dance moves. The music itself took us back to high school and well, there is definitely nothing wrong with that.

Verbal Jint & Illionaire at Revival Bar: Here’s what I learned from CMW’s K-Pop Night Out: 1. Covers of Western music make-up a large portion of South Korean popular music and 2. The fans go nuts for it.

Performing at a laser-lit Revival Bar, the line-up of rising Korean talent, which included rappers Verbal Jint, Dok2 and The Quiett from independent label ILLIONAIRE RECORDS, seemed understandably ecstatic to be playing. While these musicians have each accrued a dedicated Korean fan base, playing at a festival that is dedicated primarily to Canadian music had the potential for empty rooms. Luckily, the venue was packed and the crowd happily screamed/sang along with just about every lyric, getting extra loud for a beat drop. Although these artists were similar in sound, Verbal Jint seemed to bring a softer, more R&B focused approach, while Dok2 and The Quiett stuck to strictly spitting Korean rhymes (mixed with a little English). Despite my own language barrier, the crowd’s energy was palpable and this showcase proved to be not only intriguing, but a lesson in culture.

Ivory Hours at The Dakota Tavern: Prior to seeing the Ivory Hours live, I had a bit of an idea of what to expect. Based on the band’s brightly coloured, pop-indie music videos that feature dancing, tons of denim, and a pretty great time, I was sure that their CMW set would be enjoyable. And you know what? I wasn’t disappointed. Based out of London, Ontario, and fronted by Luke Roes, the three-piece band performed peppy tracks off their EPs, Mary and Two Keys, that kept the crowd moving along with the band’s high-energy performance. Playing to a half-filled Dakota Tavern, they delivered a show that, though at times sounded a bit strained, was overall heartfelt and well received.

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The single “Pressure” is easily one of the best tracks on the album, although “New York” gained attention when the music video became one of Vimeo’s staff picks. “Pressure” is mellow in rhythm and pacing but longitudinally diverse with many sounds and instruments layered to create the actual aesthetic of the track. Most of the album juxtaposes the heavy use of multiple elements with the façade of a singular strand of sound throughout. The only possible exception could be the presence of Terrell Morris, the Toronto hip-hop artist, on the song “Tomodachi.”

Both band members, Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne, blend into the single identity of Milk & Bone vocally. On every track, both voices blend together to create an echo in a way that could not be created if the voices were not so similar. The cohesion of the album as a whole, plus the ability for each song to stand alone clearly, illustrates the ability of the group to make good music, unique in sound. This album is not experimental but it is original as the thoughts of two minds in one.

With no previous music to compare to, Little Mourning displays the work of Milk & Bone with an air of confidence, success, and repose.

The album release is on the 17^th of March in Montreal.

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