It’s only a matter of time before Miloe grows a substantial audience. The Minneapolis singer’s bedroom pop tendencies are immediately pleasant, and tap into a sound that’s currently got the attention of the music scene (see his feature on the latest Cavetown cut ‘Let Me Feel Low’). With a few more projects under his belt and a developed sound, Miloe could well become a considerable voice in his genre. The seeds of this are in Greenhouse.
Though released in the late October of 2020, Miloe’s second EP certainly feels summery. Opener ‘Winona’, a tight 4/4 pop stomp, features a nice, big snare and noodly guitar leads to give it character. The chorus’ laser synths stack; though with a DIY feel, the song sounds just as professional as anyone would need, with a climactic outro that brings all of its ideas together. Titular track and centerpiece ‘Greenhouse’ follows this, featuring driving drums and sparkly, clean guitar. It’s a little more underplayed than the first track, but the best song on the project for this; Miloe’s songwriting is quite lovely and his stylistic trappings thus far are used to wistful effect. The refrain, with lyrics such as “heavy, it’s all feeling too heavy”, adds to a charming feeling of homegrown summer nostalgia.
‘Change Your Mind’ is playful and breezy. A perky chord progression and the EP’s most appealing vocals and melody (“why even bother?”) come together for a short and sweet little cut. Miloe’s laid-back sense of songwriting personality is exemplified here, the confidence of which is boosted by the bendy instrumentation in the song’s first and primary chorus. ‘Marna’ strips everything back: though the solely acoustic guitar/vocals instrumentation feels a little underbaked, especially after the previous track, the bounce of the EP stays mostly intact. The 2.5-minute ballad still sounds pretty carefree, and the guitar lead is admittedly rather catchy. Miloe closes things with ‘Everything (That Should Go)’, interjecting verses with hushed (at times spoken) vocals over head-bobbing drums. If Greenhouse is summery, then this track is the day cooling off and the sun going down. The softened synth in the final chorus and unassuming piano rounds off the EP on a modest note.
With a casual sound and youthful sense of personality, Miloe presents something bound to catch on. Greenhouse offers up helpings of sunny, DIY indie-pop — it’s a buoyant and breezy 15 minutes. Although only the artist’s second release, there’s plenty of personality here. It’s worth spinning.
Greenhouse EP is available to listen to now via things we like. Check out the official music video for the track ‘Winona’ below.
