22-year-old Vancouver native Rook Milo is on the rise. He's released exceptional remixes of Drake, Travi$ Scott, and Rich Boy. He’s received attention from forward-thinking labels like Soulection and key players like Ryan Hemsworth, and he's played alongside sensations like Yung Lean + Sad Boys, and recently Die Antwoord.
Now, Rook Milo has dropped his first EP, MMVIII, titled after the Canadian clothing brand that he collaborated with. I first heard of Rook Milo when he released “Bodyroll” a few months ago (featured on this EP), and was completely overwhelmed and blown away. Not to be melodramatic, but I felt as though I found my “producer soulmate,” if you will. His bare-bones + salacious-yet-sophisticated + tainted-by-darkness aesthetic is exactly my taste of music. You can only imagine my excitement and anticipation for this project.
This fluid, four-track EP starts off with “Cold,” where Milo eases us in with chilling vibes and eerie, celestial vocals. So begins the dark twisted fantasy.
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Transitioning nicely into “Outland,” Rook Milo’s first single. He dropped this a while back, and it’s featured in the MMVIII brand’s 2014 Spring collection trailer (View here). Milo takes an Eddie Hendrick’s sample and transforms it into the most captivating track on the project. The way he manipulates reverb and has Hendrick’s crooning “Keep on trucking, baby…” will have you melting in beautiful melancholia.
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For the second half, we have “McColm’s Room,” another seemingly effortless piece, and “Bodyroll” to conclude the sinister vibes on a low-and-heavy, swinging beat. EARMILK has previously covered “Bodyroll” when it released (View here).
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My only caveat is that he didn’t necessarily surprise me with MMVIII, or blow be away like usual when I hear his songs for the first time. I was hoping for a bit more since half of the EP, the strongest parts of it, have already been released. That said, I simply cannot get enough of his unmatched style. I also sincerely appreciate how slow and emotive this EP is, he’s not trying to rush a “drop,” but lets you feel those feels, from the intro to the very end—mood music. You know how people describe music as “gold?” Well, Rook Milo's music would be more appropriately described on the spectrum of a sleek and sexy “black and white,” I mean, it makes sense when you consider the collaboration.
Rook Milo is giving away the whole MMVIII project for free. Download here. (Look for button on bottom left).
Now, tell me you don’t want to hear more?
