While they’ve been making music together since 1997 – and doing so around the world – punk rockers Milemarker are back after nearly a decade apart with their most groundbreaking and fun work yet. The four-piece comprised of Dave Laney, Al Burian, Lena Kilkka, and Exra Cale released their sixth album together on August 26th, and here is your official IMPOSE rundown.
“Conditional Love” starts off with a heavy, memorable guitar riff to really prep us for what is about to happen. It’s not until about 1:10 that any vocals make their way into the track, and they’re voiced by a robot at first. It’s a commentary on how technology effects the idea of love, and it’s not a bad way to start the album. “Untamed Ocean” follows, the instrumentals sounding more tranquil, as if they’re flowing somehow. “Carrboro” is noted for its percussion, although even with the vocals mired in the wafting sound, it still feels lighter than its predecessors.
“The Dreamer” has a more traditional indie rock instrumental toward the beginning, a set beat that is then joined by a more warped, dark sound. It’s definitely a song you can vibe to, existential questions floating around. “Blue Flag” follows with a more upbeat tempo, yelling vocals admittedly much more audible. “Luxuria” actually sounds luxurious with its thick, beautiful sounds while “Recognition” is noted for the quirky sound effects layered in and the beautiful sentiment in the lyrics.
“Uh Ah” has us confused, both with its title and the cacophony of random sound that meets your ears when you press play. It eventually spins into one of our favorites on Overseas, as its futuristic sounds are driven specifically by the simple phrase “uh ah”. Seriously. That’s it. Milemarker rounds out the album with the song “Supercomputer”, bragging a bit on how “super duper” they are “with [their] supercomputer”. We can’t tell if this is a passive aggressive alienation of tech-driven people, but it’s really catchy.
Well done, Milemarker. You may have just wrapped up your US tour, but we’ll wait with baited breath until you’re back. Until then, perhaps we can jet out to one of your UK dates?
