24 November 2023

Brussels-based MILK TV is a noisy trio who hit the scene back in 2017.
They have drunk from many sources, quenching an enormous thirst for
inspiration to create a singular universe, imbued with nostalgia and cynicism
towards Anglo-Saxon pop culture.

That of cheap TV programs, giant milk bottle ads, but above all the underground,
from New York no-wave to the Californian noise scene. Sounds mental, right?
You betcha.

Last month they launched their second longplayer, baptized NEO-GEO. One of the best post-punk albums of this belligerent year. A rumbustious mix of anything noise-worthy. Controlled chaos with lots of venomous punches for all things messed-up in our society.
A diabolic slice of The Birthday Party, bits and pies of early funky Talking Heads and Television with barbed wire edges and Parquet Courts jangly-ness.

Frontman Matt(hieu) Peyraud will tell us more about the band and Neo Geo.

Hey Matt,

When and how did MILK TV started up?

“MILK TV started in 2017. I started this project after compositions that I had
written for my group “Frances’ Foes in Montreal. Unfortunately, I could not
stay in Canada, so I started a group here with these new compositions. ”

What’s the story behind the band’s name?

“MILK TV is the symbol of this overconsumption in our society. And I’m a consumer, so I know what I’m talking about. We consume objects, and our relationships. Milk is a huge lobby in Canada, so I used this image, this milk that fed us during our childhood, which goes from pop culture and bad television to counterculture and the underground.”

Which track would you play to the people who never heard of you?

“Anorak is the single released on 7′ which was supposed to be on the
new album. It reflects the entirety of our musical and societal message.”

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Your 2nd album is titled NEO GEO. What does the title stands for?

“Neo Geo is a critic of the process of industrialization and commodification
of the modern world. Technology is both a promise and a threat. ”

Is the record’s title related to the artwork or vice versa?

“Yes. New frontier, new surprise and new fear.”

Which music/artists inspired you when writing/recording the album.

Cardiacs.  It’s a UK punk prog band from the 80s. Carnaval
universe, totally crazy and very good musicians.

Women from Canada. It’s a kind of noise pop. When I was in Canada
I discovered the scene of Montreal and every musician was a child of
Women.

And others like XTC, Mr Bungle, Black Midi, Crack Cloud.”

Were all three of you involved in the writing process?.

“I mainly write the basis of the songs with bass, drums and sometimes guitar.
Then we arrange it in rehearsal with more writting and relevant drums and the
guitarist tortures my suggestions. Then I rearrange again at home. ”

Are all songs connected in some way or do they all stand on their own?

“For the second album (Neo Geo) there was real work on the overall sound.
For global listening. To have a more homogeneous album than the first which
was a melting pot of several ideas.”

RUN TO BUY VACUUM is one of my fav songs. What’s it about
and is its content related to the pretty impressive video?

“Run To Buy Vaccum, like the name of the group, speaks of this frantic race
for consumption to buy vacuum air. The vacuum cleaner is this, he’s facing
the neckties and briefcase.”

Suppose the band was an animal which one would it be and why?

“Meerkat, because it lives in groups, on a territory which can be shared
peacefully with other conspecifics. It is skilful and meticulous and feeds
itself with venomous prey.”

Suppose the album would be the soundtrack
for a movie, which one would it be and why?

“It would be a film where The Ghetto Dancers would fight against The Vampires.
And invite everyone to dance to turn vampires into shit, which would allow us
to grow the best food crops without fertilizer or GMO.”

The end of 2023 is getting nearer. What album
and track did your ears like the most?

“Everyone’s Crushed, the second
album of Water From Your Eyes.

Ulrika Spacek with “Compact Trauma.”

What’s the next step for MILK TV?

“We want to work together for the next record to explore all our sensibilities
and release more conventional formats. We work when coming back from Canada
during the spring. And to turn into Germany, Swistzerland and France. And I hope
to play in a new territory like UK and Holland.

Thank you for the chat, Matt.
May the road rise with MILK TV.

STREAM ‘NEO GEO’

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BUY ‘NEO GEO’

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