When it was announced this week that Courtney Barnett was releasing a new album, excitement was quickly undercut by a much more sobering announcement: Barnett’s End of the Day would be the last record released on Milk! Records.
Since launching in 2012, Milk! has been one of Melbourne and Australia’s most important record labels: it was truly independent, artist-run, and valued a sense of community above all else.
“It has been one of the great honours of my life to be part of this incredible community and to work alongside so many amazing artists,” as Barnett said yesterday. “Thank you to every single person who has been part of the Milk! Records journey, it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
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Over the last decade-and-a-bit, Milk! has been home to some excellent artists in Australia and beyond, from Barnett to Jen Cloher, Tiny Ruins to Hand Habits. Melbourne’s music scene will be a lesser place without the record label next year.
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Below, Tone Deaf takes a look at five of the finest albums released by Milk! throughout its existence.
Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel (2018)
It was difficult to choose just one Barnett album – all three of her full-length releases have their merits – but Tell Me How You Really Feel acted as confirmation that Melbourne had a generational songwriting talent in its midst.
Barnett upped the guitar-driven noise on her second album, her typical indie rock often sinking into genuine grunge territory, but her wry lyricism and deadpan delivery remained. The songwriting was sharper, the targets of her words more pointed.
Barnett was rightly honoured at that year’s ARIA Awards for Best Rock Album, despite facing strong competition from Camp Cope and Middle Kids.
The Finks – Rolly Nice (2018)
At this point, The Finks is a criminally underrated artist. The project of Melbourne’s Oliver Mestitz, the musician’s songs are always thoughtful, intelligent, and lightly melancholic.
The Finks’ quietly moving brand of indie folk was at its best on 2018’s Rolly Nice. The 11-track collection would not be to everyone’s taste – the songwriting often threatens to become too saccharine – but when it all came together, such as on the solemn “Thankful” and the sweet “Charlie’s Manifesto”, the results were genuinely lovely.
As The Finks, Mestitz makes it clear that sentimentality is a strength and displaying one’s emotions should be celebrated.
Chastity Belt – Chastity Belt (2019)
Milk! has worked with several wonderful international artists, including alternative rock icons Sleater-Kinney, but releasing Chastity Belt’s fourth album was quite the coup.
Julia Shapiro and co.’s earnest rock textures were quite at home on a label also home to Hachiku, Jen Cloher, and Liz Stringer, and their self-titled album was an exquisite mixture of the casual and the profound.
More than ever, listening to the Seattle band was like hanging out with four of your coolest, chillest friends, just trying to make the most of being in your 20s.
Liz Stringer – First Time Really Feeling (2021)
An inarguably stunning songwriter, there’s a reason that Stringer is so well-respected in Melbourne’s music community.
First Time Really Feeling found Stringer at her most vulnerable, contemplating newfound sobriety and new outlooks on life.
It also felt like the album that brought Stringer’s lyrical talents to a wider, appreciative audience; no longer would she just be treasured by peers like Cloher and Barnett and Australian legends like Midnight Oil.
Jen Cloher – I Am the River, the River Is Me (2023)
A truly beautiful album. Recorded between New Zealand and Melbourne, Cloher’s fifth album is a profound celebration of their Māori heritage.
I Am the River, the River Is Me was the first time that Cloher (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) included the Māori language in their songwriting, the musician really pushing themselves to incorporate their lineage into their music.
“Finding the confidence to write and perform in my matrilineal language te reo Māori wasn’t easy,” Cloher said about the experience. “Bringing my language back into my body and weaving it through my songwriting has been an enormously healing process.”
It was a serious endeavour, certainly, but Cloher made sure to include bursts of fun – “My Witch” was an enthralling anthem that featured Georgia Maq, Alice Skye, Mo’Ju and more in its accompanying music video.
