Milophone is the latest moniker of Birmingham based musician Milo Price. Having dropped several EP’s and albums under different names in the late 2010s, Price’s return to music establishes him as a distinct voice in the Midlands music scene and certainly one to watch. The Five Songs EP takes a less funeral pop approach than previous releases. Instead it places greater importance on detailed sensitive lyricism, while still exploring the darker themes of previous work.

The first track, Caracalla, follows the life of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, infamous Roman emperor, known for the ruthless murder of his brother, Geta. The twang of finger-picked guitar and harmonica hints at the influence of early Elliot Smith tracks like, No Name 2 and Drive All Over Town. While the song features many references to antiquity, Milophone applies a personal approach to the topic, painting a picture of the emperor as a lost soul calling out to his lover. The result is a melting pot of contrasting metaphors, a mythic evil figure brought down to earth. The black truth of lines such as “Caracalla killed his brother. True Control, complete surrender” is followed by the vulnerable plea of “Please don’t ask me how I came here. I don’t know, I can’t remember”. 

I must admit, I was privy to some of these songs before they were released, in various demo forms or another. Through the different iterations of Caracalla released over the years I hear a musician always searching for the perfect word, the perfect phrasing, to communicate what is often uncommunicable. It is through these echoes, in different versions of the same song or in the repeated motifs of the EP, that a thread begins to emerge between each track. A lost person in search of understanding. 

Angelhand, perhaps one of the stand outs of the EP, is a chugging lo-fi track, with creeping, intimate, vocals that are so close they feel as if they’re being whispered into your ear. Milophone evokes an image of spiralling almost agoraphobic isolation, “How can the hermit abandon the shell?” He asks. The up-beat tempo and sardonic slant to lyrics like “Slow shift for the slow boy. Cheap gift carries no joy” keep the track from feeling too morose. While probably the catchiest of the tracks on Five Songs, its lyrics remain subtle and playful, giving listeners a satisfying playback experience. The winding cry of the chorus phases out the song, which comes to a sudden halt.

The first time I heard Eleanor was through a voice note recording taken at a party. Through the crackling phone mic and chatter of afters ambience I heard a song that stopped me in my tracks. A gentle melodic love song with a soft crooning voice. Just a guitar and a voice. I couldn’t stop thinking about this song from the moment I heard it. As a musician I find the hardest subject to write about is love. To condense a person you love inside and out into a few lines of prose, while avoiding the grand sweeping vagueness of most love songs is a challenging task. The simplicity of Eleanor is its true beauty. Without cliche, pretence, or melodrama, it breaks an entire relationship down to its bare bones, the only things that really matter: 

I met you – I loved you – I love you still 

The final two tracks on the EP, Everything’s Ending and Swallow, feel a little less finished than the rest, or perhaps are simply overshadowed by them. Everything’s Ending is a soft lullaby about getting older with some bluesy slides as accompaniment. While Swallow follows in a similar mournful vein, with the main highlight being Milophone’s airy floating vocals that swoop over the track. Overall Five Songs is an exciting comeback release that feels like stumbling upon a hidden gem. With a long history as a musician behind him it feels as though Milophone is finally coming into his own. The elegant imagery and vocals create a unique and entrancing atmosphere with an attitude that harkens back to the early days of Soundcloud demos and DIY bedroom rock. For fans of Shelf-Life, Greg Mendez and Elliott Smith this EP is not to be missed.


To keep up to date with Milophone follow them on Instagram here

To hear Five Songs on Bandcamp follow the link here