A Little Lucky: Milk & Bone Debut their EP in Collaboration with Chromeo at Public Records

Dec 11

words and photos By: Calli Ferguson

Last week, on a cold night in Gowanus, guests gathered at Public Records’ listening room. Walking into the room tucked up on the venue’s second story- somehow at once sleek and cozy- they were greeted by the smell of incense and a bowl of black lighters with “A Little Lucky” written in red script.

They were gathered in celebration of Milk & Bone’s new Chromeo-produced EP. Over specialty “Lucky 75” cocktails served in coupes, the warm glow of table candles flooding a room designed for ideal acoustics, the indie electro-pop duo released their new project, ‘A Little Lucky’.

“We’ve been fans of Chromeo since we were teenagers,” they shared. After winning a Juno, they bumped into the electro-funk duo and fellow Montrealers on an escalator, who greeted them with congratulations. Riding the high of the award, they told the Public Records room, “We said hey back!” That was the conversation that sparked a collaboration.

They gave it the courtesy 24-hour play-it-cool period before following up with the Chromeo guys. And from there it was all set in motion: A partnership born from talent and a lot of creative work. And for that fateful moment on the escalator? Maybe it took getting, well… a little lucky.

The result is filled with Milk & Bone’s dreamy sound and the funk-forward Chromeo fingerprint. It’s a danceable, mesmerizing red carpet ride (where the red carpet we’re on is probably a synth). What the EP has in groove is matched by a kind of wistfulness and lyrical relatability.

As Milk & Bone geared up to open Chromeo’s sold-out Webster Hall show the following evening, the listening party was tangibly intimate. The notably cool crowd and space brought a surprisingly warm energy. It came through in the pared-down renditions of their single “Hoops” and “Blossom Tree” off the new project. Both were performed sitting with micro keyboard synths on their laps, their sweet harmonies beautifully filling the space. If the cool electro-pop genre met ‘songs around a campfire’ spirit, it might feel a little something like this. The performance was followed by a champagne cheers, laughter, and more sharing in the songs and the life they were about to take on.