A Band You Should Know: Milly Strange
Photography by Josh Sabini and Brendan Frost.
Looking around the crowd at Milly Strange’s sold out album launch in Melbourne last month, you could see the effect the band’s music has on people.
Everyone in the three hundred person room was unable to take their eyes off the stage and at least half the room at some point had a tear roll down their cheek. It’s not a surprise either - there is a level of intimacy that is special to Milly’s lyrics. They’re clear, easy to understand, delivered powerfully and directly. All vulnerabilities are on the table as each song feels like a melodic read of a harrowing diary entry. Their debut album, the self titled Milly Strange, released in August, feels like a release long beyond their years. Within only two years, the Melbourne-based five piece has created a sound that is well-polished, diverse, and true to themselves. A perfect combination of Milly’s incredible storytelling and the band's instrumentals whose range spans from alt-rock to country and back.
There’s a well deserved buzz around Melbourne for Milly Strange, it’s one that we can only be sure will be spread. We sat down with Milly to get to know her and the background of the band which took five years to put together.
At the album launch show, Keely said that you had first sent her demos of songs you were writing in 2017, it took until 2023 for you guys to come together as a band. Why did it take so long to start making music?
I had a real fear of starting anything. I was really scared to put myself out there and try publicly, I didn't want people to see me fail, especially with this thing I care so much about. The songs also had a lot of fear and pain within them, it was really painful for me to sing about those things, especially at that time.
What made you start?
I had a morning where I woke up and thought, ‘If I don’t do this, I’m going to blink, I’ll be on my deathbed, and I’m never going to have done this thing I really wanted to do. My songs will be forgotten, without ever being anything, they’ll die when I die.’
Was anyone telling you other than Keely that you should do this?
Jai, who's my boyfriend and the guitarist in the band, was always begging me to sing and couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t do it or even try, I wouldn’t even play music with him. He was always really supportive, as soon as I was like, ‘Let’s do this’ I went to him and he was so onboard. He does a lot of the producing and constructing of the songs, he’s a really big part of the band.
Do you know many songs you had written at that point?
If we’re talking real songs, I’d say about fifty. I’ve been writing for my whole life, so there is a lot. Not all of them were good, but there were some there I really liked. For our debut album we chose the songs which were the most rehearsed and flowed well together.
Your lyrics are so vulnerable in themselves, even without that external fear it is quite an intense thing to share. How was that whole experience from showing Jai to the first shows?
It’s funny because I am a pretty outspoken and confident person, so I’d always give a disclaimer of, ‘These lyrics aren’t finished and I’m still working on this’ I was always like, I’ll just show you what I’ve got. I definitely remember crying while writing and singing some of those more vulnerable songs. I read this article recently with PJ Harvey where she talks about recording the vocals on Uh Huh Her, she had written these songs then her grandmother had passed away and she said for those vulnerable songs going through that trauma she was able to convey emotion with her voice on such a deeper level. I resonated with that because I lost my friend in high school, I had an upbringing that was rocky at times, and I really think I use my voice as a tool to convey emotion, it’s not just the lyrics, it's the delivery and the way I hold in my chest. I do feel emotional when I’m singing.
As you perform more do you feel like the emotions the songs carry change?
Yeah and they sort of grow with you. You experience all these things throughout life, and I can tap into the emotion that song is conveying from new things that have happened as much as old things that have. To be performing sometimes I do really need to get into that headspace and tap into that part of myself. It is a ritual before performing to be able to have that time to let it all in.
Yeah, I couldn’t even imagine how scary that it would’ve been at the start, especially.
It’s crazy. At my album launch and playing those recent shows with Folk Bitch Trio it was the first time I didn’t feel that gut punch, I’m going to throw up, anxiety. I felt really comfortable and like a musician.
What do you think it was that changed that?
Having a sold-out show and seeing all those people buying tickets [laughs]. It was a realisation that people were interested and wanted to listen. The reception of the album, being on the radio, and meeting all these people who I don’t know but they love the music, it was so legitimising for me and really made me feel like a musician.
It’s also pretty crazy how quickly it’s all happened. It’s only been two years of you guys playing together, and your debut album came out just over a month ago. How does it all feel being so recent?
It’s crazy, I know. It’s been unreal, for the recent show I was checking the ticket link of the website and it just said, ‘Sold Out’, I just stood there and like ‘Oh, shit, I really have to perform the fuck out of this show.’
Do you feel like you’re getting better at performing?
Absolutely. Every show having that anxiety dropping as I’m performing, I’m able to loosen up during performing and not feel like I have to choke words out in between songs because I’m so anxious. It’s becoming more organic and natural.
I wanted to talk about “Horses”, it’s so heartbreaking lyrically yet it’s instrumental is so uplifting. If you didn’t listen to the lyrics, you’d have such a different interpretation of the song. What was the process for that song becoming what it became?
It’s based on an old song I wrote, and I was playing around with the chord progression. I was flipping it, trying some different stuff, and came up with that. I was with Keely, looked over at her and was like there’s something in there, then I didn’t touch it for a while. Then we were in Alek’s bedroom, and I was playing it and just singing, ‘I close my eyes, say my goodbye’s’ over and over, then sang, ‘I know you're gone, but I see you all the time’. It’s about my friend Elly, who passed away in high school. It was one of those things where I wrote some of it on my own and then we really developed it as a band together. The tune is really happy, it has jive and a lot of energy. I don’t know why that sort of particular situation came to me while I was listening to that song, but I think its loss and especially losing a best friend when you’re so young. I do look back at those moments with a lot of joy and it’s special and happy being able to look back and reminisce at those happy memories together. There’s pain in that as well, but it is also really beautiful and special, I think that’s why it works so well as this upbeat song with energy, but it’s also really emotional.
I was talking to Nick Garth (producer and bassist in Body Maintenance) recently and he told me about the solo EP you were going to produce together, he was saying that you were hesitant about being a “singer-songwriter”. What is it about that you want to avoid?
I was always really hesitant to have a more stripped back situation with music because I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as “Girl with guitar”. I am a girl with a guitar, but I didn't want to play into that stereotype and if I did I wanted it to be in a way that felt true to me. I feel now knowing myself and understanding my music, I’m comfortable to go into that space. There are two songs on the album which are quite stripped back, and I love those songs. I had this huge hesitation and now I’m like maybe I could do that but in my own way.
Do you think that comes back to the original vulnerability too where it's more than just the girl with a guitar thing? With a band you’re not alone and have the support of them behind you too.
Yeah, definitely. When I did my first stripped back shows supporting Folk Bitch Trio, it was just me and Jai. I felt really comfortable and completely okay. That’s why I’m okay to explore that part of my music too because no matter what I do it’s going to be an honest and uncompromising expression. I just really didn’t want to conform to stereotypes.
It’s nice as time goes on you’re continuing to open new doors. Singing for the first time was opening one door, selling out shows was another, and then this is opening the door to a different kind of project.
Yeah, for sure. The context is different too with when I play a show it will be with Milly Strange, the full band. I love being in a band, the energy with all your bandmates is unreal.
Totally. With the band as well you make it very clear it’s Milly Strange the band and it’s not a solo project. Is the band aspect something really important for you?
Definitely. I’ve been called a solo artist a few times which isn’t how I feel at all. I am writing these songs, it’s my voice, my feelings, and my experience but Jai writes a lot of parts, Alec, Sam, and Keely’s input is all so important in making it complete. I couldn’t make a grungy rock song without a full band and that is a really important aspect of our music.
Do you ever think maybe you should’ve called the band something else to not have the effect where people seem like you’re Milly Strange the solo artist?
Yeah, it’s definitely something that had floated around my mind but I think it just makes sense that it’s Milly Strange.
Yeah, it makes sense why people may think that you’re Milly Strange, but it also feels like the name encompasses the whole band.
It’s funny when people are like you’re Milly Strange, I’m like I thought I was just Milly, it’s a funny thing and I’m sure it’ll change over the years as we make more music together. I’m going to go back to PJ Harvey, when you listen to her music and there is a full band and there are so many textures, sounds and influences and most of the stuff you see of hers is a band. That’s how I also see it.
I also think it’s interesting, because especially with bands fronted by women, the lead singer always ends up getting referred to by the band's name, like for Debbie Harry its Blondie, even more recently with Karly Hartzman she gets referred to as Wednesday. Those are two projects which are heavy on being a whole band in the same way you guys are too.
I’ve thought about it because it’s such a real thing, I understand that people tend to resonate with who is singing and standing at the front, but that's our band, we all write parts, we work on things together, this project wouldn’t be the same without them.
Now you’re at this point do you ever wish you started making music earlier or do you think it came at the right time?
I think it did come at the right time. I’m at a stage in my life now where I’m able to hold a lot of those harder feelings and keep going. When I was a bit younger in my early twenties, I wasn’t as measured as I am now, I had a lot of anxiety and paranoia. Now I know myself and I feel really confident in the person I am. This was my path and I had to do a lot of internal work to get to a place where I could perform.
Yeah, especially when you’re not in the best headspace that is a near impossible task.
Yeah, putting myself in a position where they are really going to see me and see everything. I’m now in a space where that feels completely okay.