by Jasmine Bourgeois
Milked is the solo project of Kelly Johnson (of Geronimo!). Johnson’s second album of the project, Bruised Fruit and Other Perishables is a fuzzy lo-fi dream.
Bruised Fruit hits a good balance of reminiscing on Johnson’s older garage rock influenced sounds while also bringing a new lo-fi jangly feel to our ears. Though reminiscent of older easy-listening rock, this album is a nuanced listen. Each track brings a different sound and energy that work together to create a dreamy feel-good world. The first track, “Sky Beams Electric,” fluctuates between summer road trip memories and distorted garage rock vibes that carry through the duration of the rest of the album. The sixth track (and my personal favorite), “Shovel to the Teardrop Face,” is faster-paced but still brings that summer road trip charm. “Milking,” the final track on the album ends on a different note than the rest. This track is heavier on the synth than the rest of the album and brings simple but poignant lyrics: “I don’t want to die unhappy/ I don’t want to die at all.”
This album is easy to ingest, but complex — indicative of Johnson’s artistry. Milked is a project to watch out for; I have a feeling there will be a lot of exciting things to come.