Milk Break turned millennial wound-licking into whimsical cosmic indie on ‘Is It Home or Is It Hole?’ –

Milk Break picked out the splinters of growing pains with a retrospective sense of maturity with Is It Home or Is It Hole?, the third and final single from his upcoming debut album, Don’t Put It Down, Put It Away. The Minnesota singer-songwriter and indie pop-rock musician, real name Jared Bohlken, performed, recorded and mixed the primarily solo project from his home studio, using the album to process ended relationships, aimlessness, loss and hope from his 20s.

His lyrics are practically prophetic, but will the youth of today take heed to his introspective gold before getting burned themselves? Absolutely not, making Is It Home or Is It Hole? an aural gem for millennials still licking their wounds. The organic instrumentation and quaint vocal delivery fall on just the right side of twee as Milk Break reaches the epitome of candid, honeyed devastation.

Building into a cosmic arrangement that hits the same offbeat sweet spots as The Flaming Lips, Grandaddy and ELO, the track contorts itself into a quintessentially whimsical trip across the cosmos of memory, as Milk Break claws at the most tender echoes of heartbreak.

The fuzzy solo feels present for catharsis as much as sonic appreciation; it bridges the gap between the tentative breaths of the prelude and the unrestrained polyphonic synth timbres platforming meta-poetry that feels far too natural for Milk Break. It’s an odyssey that will undoubtedly reflect everyone’s proverbial diary entries penned in their 20s.

Grab the tissues and prepare for the resonance because Is It Home or Is It Hole? is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast