Milk at Midnight

gmatism” opens with a riff that’s a little bit country and a little bit “Big Bird In Japan,” while “Lost Highway” drowns in a cacophony of psychedelia. Rarely does an album’s full track listing consist of must-hear ditties, but here’s a perfect dozen."

—Janine Schaults, Illinois Entertainer

"Sometimes trolling the internet for shows leads me to discover some pretty lovely local music that has somehow escaped my ears. Sure, there’s a little old Flaming Lips – You know, when they were a rock band – but more than anything it’s just good old, driving indie rock. Welcome to my ears, Milk At Midnight."

—Ross Meyerson, Loud Loop Press

"Locals’ Less Love More Acid offers bad advice but plenty of plaintive, impressive indie rock tunes."

—Chicago Tribune/Red Eye/Metromix

"The charming and sonically affable local outfit Milk at Midnight celebrates the release of “Less Love More Acid” (Stars/No Stars Records) tonight, the trio’s second full-length. The classic-rock-inspired indie pop bounces along in an even more psychedelic way this time around, but not at the expense of the band’s endearing youthfulness and tendency to lean towards the dramatic. But the ability to pull off both a dark-edged indie-rock song like “Kristol Ball” and an acoustic-guitar-led song like “Sticks in My Stomach” is impressive; the album’s title track, probably the best song of the collection, has a driving intensity that could for sure inspire a room."

—Tom Lynch, New City Chicago

"Milk At Midnight's sound is chimeric, with the primary sonic tether between tunes being the group's ability to graft memorable melodies onto craggy surfaces. The other connecting point is angry lyrics that both condemn and soar. The sunshine is there if you really quint and search it out, but eventually your eyes are going to tire and the light will temporarily slip from your vision again. It's the hope that keeps us going even as we stare wide-eyed at the horrors around us."

—Tankboy, Chicagoist.com

"Despite their name, locals Milk at Midnight don’t aim to be particularly soothing and sleep inducing. These guys sound a little pushy, like somebody at a bar who’s oblivious to your personal space, but if you can forgive that you’re in for some fun: their third album, Less Love More Acid (Stars/No Stars), fully embraces both stiff-legged Napoleon Dynamite geekery and blitzing hard-rock riffs."

—Monica Kendrick, Chicago Reader

"Milk at Midnight’s EP Letter Bombs and Holidays is the kind of album we love: one that reveals itself a little more on each listen. The characters in these songs are in a constant struggle between optimism and pessimism and the music reflects that. Plus, it’s exciting to hear a banjo used outside of the alt-country genre especially when its the perfect counterpoint to fuzzed-up guitars (“Never Liked It Here Much Anyway”)."

—Scott Smith, Chicagoist

"Milk At Midnight experimented with mixing Appalachian mountain-man touches to thundering rock rhythms on their last EP, and the new album sees them taking that aesthetic and expanding it over a number of new songs. One of the most interesting things about the band is the inner conflict they seem to be constantly fighting when it comes to what the band's sounds should be. Singer-guitarist Danny Doom wants to write classic rock epic protest songs, but the interplay between his and Rick Nitz's guitars creates tapestries that suck you in just as Eric Anderson's thundering drums threaten to bounce you right back out again. The band's sound shifts, darts, and defies pigeonholing. This is a band that would sound right in place touring econo in 1984 as they would opening for Pearl Jam in 1994 or putting on a psychedelic lightshow at Metro in 2009."

—Chicagoist.com

“Local favorites Milk at Midnight play stirring, driving, rock epics with a touch of glam, channeling equal parts Led Zeppelin and the Flaming Lips. On their latest EP, 'Letter Bombs and Holidays,' guitarist Danny Doom, bassist Nick Ritz, and drummer Eric Ander$in constantly alternate instrumental and vocal duties while successfully utilizing the banjo, seamlessly mixing its twang into their crashing, fuzzy guitars and stripping it of its usual alt-country connotations — not an easy feat.”

—Flavorpill (chi.flavorpill.net)

"The Flaming Lips meet The White Stripes meet Led Zeppelin is probably the best way to describe the distinctive sound that permeates Milk at Midnight's self-released EP, 'Letter Bombs and Holidays.' They go from moody and droning on the opening number ('The Boy That No One Knows') to playful and light on the ever-so-mysterious bonus track. Other standouts include the Cure cover '10:15 Saturday Night' and the classic rock meets indie rock of 'Satellite.'"

—Dean Ramos, Illinois Entertainer, November 2005

"'A Fit To End All Time'" has everything I love: melody, power, adventure, heart and the true feeling of three guys working towards the common goal of creating something unique."

—donewaiting.com

"Intense and heady, intelligent and amusing, poppy and noisy, Milk at Midnight's music is both uncompromising and instantly likeable."

—Citylink Chicago

"These songs sound effortless, as if they could rip out a new song just as tight and catchy at the drop of a hat, yet they're intense enough to reflect favorably on what must be a high-powered, beer-infused live show."

—Delusions of Adequacy

"Chicago's Milk at Midnight has a flair for the dramatic...the group knows when to back off and when to explode."

—UR Chicago