Interview with Pat Kiloran from Milkk

​Milkk is more than your average pop group.  The intricate weaving of different sounds combined with lyrics that make you feel something, sets them apart from other groups.  Overall, their sound has continuously evolved to encompass emotions and thoughts that tell the listener a story.  The focus the members have on creating an experience leads to a rollercoaster of emotions through their numerous tracks.  The band is comprised of Pat Kiloran, Jack Vondrachek, and John Ogelby.  We were fortunate enough to chat with Pat about the band and their upcoming record!

Thanks so much for speaking with us!  We are super hyped for this interview!  Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a fun fact about you?
Hi, I’m Pat Kiloran, I sing, write songs, and produce music for Milkk.  Some fun facts about me are…I love all sorts of anime shows; I don’t remember the last time I drank real water, I’ve only been drinking sparkling water, I skipped 8th and 12th grade, so I went to college in 12th grade and I was the youngest in my class.
 
What music are you currently listening to?
We are in the process of writing another album, so I’ve been listening to a lot of our own music.  I’ve been analyzing it and trying to see what we can do to make everything better [on the next one].  When I’m not doing that I’m listening to Kanye [West], Bon Iver…I like the new Harry Styles album a lot too.  The song I have on repeat lately is by this J-pop trio called Perfume.  It’s like the best video games and anime shows I like came together and made this track.  I can feel it deep in my soul.  When I’m not listening to that I’m typically listening to something hip hop or rap-ish or lately to more indie stuff.  It depends on the mood.  I think a wide variety of influence and understanding of musical culture can help you make something more special or unique which is something I strive after.  With Milkk I want to blend genres and merge ideas and I think that listening to different music makes you well rounded and able to appreciate it and give a new perspective.
 
Describe your sound in 3 words.
That’s so hard to say because with every release since our first EP it’s been a progression.  I’m going to give a brief 3-word phrase for each of the releases so far.
Our first EP came out in 2018, “Sad Girl”, it’s a little bit rougher than now.  I would say in three words it is sad, prom date.
Our next EP came out in the summer of 2018, “If You’re Reading This, I Love You.”  In terms of progression it’s a little less indie.  When I talk to our drummer, I was obsessed with this sound when we were making the record, I would say it’s saw tooth synth.
Our first album was released in 2019 and it’s called Headrush.  It’s a diverse group of songs so it is hard to describe, I’ll talk about the feeling of it.  My three words would have to be hardest two years.
Last fall we released another EP, “God Loves You and So Do I.”  It was trap-pop love songs.  I was super into a lot of rap and trap when writing it and I wanted to bring those beats into a project while writing more pop songs on top of it.
Currently we are working on a new record, which we will hopefully release later this year.  I’d like to call it my magnum opus.  It’s still super rough, but I want to see these songs and the narrative…this is a lofty project, there’s a lot of depth to it.  I feel like we are finally hitting a point where these are great songs and great production. The goal is to always get better and better.  We have been working on this idea and concept, brainstorming it for months and months.  I always push for something new and am inspired by what’s in the moment. The point of being an artist in general is not committing to a brand but expressing yourself and showing that in the moment. It is valuable to not be afraid to express you need to express yourself.
 
What is your favorite part of a song you’ve written?
 I really like the first track off Headrush, “90’s Baby.”  It has this weird sounding introspective intro track poem sung over this warped beat that I really liked a lot.  The song is a narrative explaining this intro to an album full of mental shifts.  It is a biography of myself and the way I feel in different moments.  At this point I was in a rough season of life, it was kinda bouncing around.  The first lyric, “I’m just another 90’s baby/seems like my friends don’t like me lately” explained this anxiety element.  It was based on real experience I had with someone.  Another lyric in the song, “I’ve got nothing new to say/searched the whole Earth it’s been done yesterday” is so meaningful to me.  Anything you make is probably influenced by something or someone else.  It is about my desire to be fresh, creative, and new, and it can be like oh its already been done before.
 
What is one thing you would change about the music industry as it is today?
I think that the moment Capitalism stepped into the artistic boundary it ruined art.  I think once art and music started to be made to cater to what people want to hear I think that ruined the creative process where people now go to write hits.  Maybe you want to write a catchy single. Sometimes the artists that freely express themselves are the ones that stick with you 10 years later.  Sometimes a song was made, and the lyrics were made to get attention and it served its purpose.  Songs and albums that stick with me are ones that just purely are creation and products of the moment of that artist’s head-space.  People started writing songs just to make music.  You should have to create; it should be a need or necessity in your life.  Whether you are a musician painter or writer you should make what you think is honest to you and that personality will come through. So do your thing, at the end of the day don’t worry about all the other bs that surrounds it.  That’s what makes it fulfilling, the point of being an artist is to make the art.  Come what may, come as it will, just enjoy the process.  The value of what you make is not determined by its financial success or its reach.  The value is what you put into it. The rest of the stuff is icing on the cake.
 
What is your writing process like?
For our earlier stuff I would write a rough track and produce it then bring it to the other guys.  The new stuff is more collaborative.  I still sit down and write but we are all sitting down together and making stuff in the moment and seeing what comes out.  We still self-produce and self-mix.  Sometimes we build a track and the vibe first, then write lyrics and melodies.  Other times I have a chorus in my head and build a track around it.  This latest record is more of a Frankenstein process.  We have a bunch of other songs that we haven’t released, so I’ll plug a part of a song into a different song or add lyrics to another track.  We are taking a lot more time on it.
 
What do you do when you’re not writing music?
I raise my children; I have two sons.  My wife and I have been watching a Japanese reality show called Terrace House.  It’s like Japan’s big brother but way less produced and I love it because there is so much less drama.  I also watch anime.  I want to enjoy the small things and small moments in life.
 
We have some spitfire questions for you so say the first thing that comes into your head.
What is your favorite movie?
Ill say this for now, I don’t think this is my favorite, Room.  I had a visceral reaction when I first saw it. It made me feel so many things.
Favorite book?
Old Man in the Sea by Hemingway
Favorite TV show?
The Office
Favorite state that you’ve been to?
California, just because there is so much to do landscape wise.
Favorite food?
Thai or Indian
If you could go any place in the world where would you go?
I’m planning a trip to Japan next year.
If you could learn any instrument that you don’t know how to play what would it be?
Violin or strings
 
Finally, what are you goals for the new decade of 2020?
I hope to keep making music and that the Milkk stuff will reach a much wider audience.  I just want to keep making stuff that I’m proud of and keep getting better.  I want to become a kinder and more patient person, treat people well, and enjoy time with others.
 
You can follow Milkk on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
You can check out their music here