It's been a year-and-a-half since Montreal-based Milk & Bone released Deception Bay, a well-received collection that stood tall. Now, with four-track EP Dive, made in collaboration with Belgian producer Alex Lustig, they appear to be filling a gap after some down time.
Opening track and single, "Ride or Die," is sombre, as it tells the story of how challenging it can be to love someone who doesn't love themselves. This song is metronomic, as it clings tight to the synth-pop formula; it feels familiar, like maybe you heard it on the radio before.
In general, all of Dive feels this way: safe, as every song appears to build without a definite release. Final track "Blue Dream" comes to a full stop, as if something unexpected is going to happen, but nothing does. The beat picks up a little, but the anticipation doesn't match the solution. The exception is "Vision. Colour.," a track that feels a little darker; the lyrics are rich with imagery and the beat challenges the formula.
Dive is what you listen to when you're trying to relax, the kind of recording you could make out to. While everyone needs a collection like that readily at hand, there's room to be challenged and to push the envelope a little further.
(Bonsound)Opening track and single, "Ride or Die," is sombre, as it tells the story of how challenging it can be to love someone who doesn't love themselves. This song is metronomic, as it clings tight to the synth-pop formula; it feels familiar, like maybe you heard it on the radio before.
In general, all of Dive feels this way: safe, as every song appears to build without a definite release. Final track "Blue Dream" comes to a full stop, as if something unexpected is going to happen, but nothing does. The beat picks up a little, but the anticipation doesn't match the solution. The exception is "Vision. Colour.," a track that feels a little darker; the lyrics are rich with imagery and the beat challenges the formula.
Dive is what you listen to when you're trying to relax, the kind of recording you could make out to. While everyone needs a collection like that readily at hand, there's room to be challenged and to push the envelope a little further.