Milk & Bone, the French electro-pop duo that’s comprised of Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin is making a name for itself as of late and is steadily climbing the charts one dreamy melody at a time. Laurence and Camille’s debut album has been praised by everyone from The Guardian, NYLON, V Magazine, The Globe and Mail and Interview Magazine, but their highest accomplishment to date has to be earning a 2016 JUNO nomination for “Breakthrough Group of the Year.”
The duo is set to play San Francisco on March 22 at the Swedish American Hall as part of Noise Pop, and in anticipation of that show, we spoke with the band about how they first came together, who they cite as their main influences, and what it was like to earn that JUNO award.
For people not familiar with you guys how would you describe your band?
Laurence: We’re two friends making music together. Two women creating, writing, co-producing music. We love to play with synths, lots of vocals and harmonies. People say we make indie-electro-pop music, but you know how musicians feel about genres.
How’d you two come to playing music together?
Laurence: We were spending a LOT of time together at the time, singing together on stage for other musicians. Sharing hotel rooms kind of built a special bond between us.
Camille: We got to talking about what inspired us and just felt like maybe trying to put our songwriting together. It was all very natural and organic and we actually didn’t think about the fact that it might work?
What are some of your biggest influences?
L: Solange, Beach House, Charli XCX, Lorde, Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, Grimes, James Blake, Caribou, Jessy Lanza, Empress Of, Tei Shi, Lana Del Rey, just to name a few.
Can you describe your songwriting process?
L: We like to record parts of songs on our phones. We feel like a lot of the good ideas come from moments of weakness when you’re alone and a little drunk. We then get together and go through these ideas and build songs around them together.
What was it like earning a JUNO nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year back in 2016?
L: It was really surprising and we felt very honored to be picked out of all the new artists in Canada as a breakthrough band.
C: It gave us the confidence to work even harder for our second album.
What was the main inspiration for your latest album “Deception Bay?”
L: We write music about love and disappointment in love.
C: Deception Bay is exactly that for us. A place where we send all of our failed love stories to.
How’s the tour going?
L: Really good, actually! This is our second tour in the USA, but the first time we’ll get to perform in San Francisco. We’ve debuted a new show in Toronto less than a month ago and we are in LOVE with it. It feels more dynamic, more fun.
C: Also, our team is the bomb.
What’s the most challenging aspect of being on the road all the time?
L: Being far away from home can get challenging. It gets lonely out there on the road. It’s really important to have a strong team and to take care of each other.
Because you’re spending so much time together, do you find it difficult to get along all the time?
L: We do spend almost all of our time together, but that also means that we know each other very well. You can never get along with someone 100% of the time, but you can learn to read the signs and learn to give people space.
What’s one thing that many people would be surprised to find out about you?
L: We’re not a couple and we’re not sisters.
C: We get that a lot.
Milk & Bone play the Swedish American Music Hall Thursday, March 22 as part of Noise Pop // Doors at 7:00 PM PDT // 15$ – 21+
Photo courtesy of Grandstand PR
