Milestones | Equal Measures | Artwork Feature

Averaging an age of just 18 (17 when they wrote and recorded Equal Measures in 2014, with former Bring Me The Horizon / now All Time Low sound guy Phil Gornell), Milestones have meticulously constructed five songs that positively belie their young age and relative inexperience; Equal Measures is the glorious, compelling sound of raw, natural talent put to the test, tracks such as anthemic single ‘Nothing Left’ offering up simple but soaring melodies that tingle the nape of your neck and leave you totally hooked. Here vocalist Matt discusses the creation of the artwork for their debut… 

“For our EP artwork we decided to go with Bootch Art & Design because he has completed some amazing work in the past. For example, he worked with our lads in Yeah Detroit (whom we toured with in February), so we went from there really. 

We mentioned what concepts we wanted to portray and then altered a few different sketch versions until we were happy. The creation of the cover really was based around the lyrics concerning uncertainty, which focus mainly a sense of security being taken away from you. When you cherish something so close, sometimes you forget that the feeling isn't invincible and isn't eternal. We tried to capture this by featuring a guy leaving his home, as a home represents what I mentioned; security. You never expect your home to not be there the next day, the same way the lyrics portray that sense of uncertainty and feeling lost. 

We also wanted the setting to be a wooded area, in order to give the idea of being lost afterwards. It's not like he's just losing his home and everything he's known, he also has absolutely no idea where he's going now, he's completely lost and alone. 

I suppose the whole record is a quiet reminder for me never to hold on and be too certain on things. Never to count on tomorrow really. We're very pleased with the outcome and would like to thank Bootch for doing a good job with it!”

Equal Measures is out the 6th of April! Check out Milestone's video for 'More to Me' below: 



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Milestones | Equal Measures | Track By Track Guide

Averaging an age of just 18 (17 when they wrote and recorded Equal Measures in 2014, with former Bring Me The Horizon / now All Time Low sound guy Phil Gornell), Milestones have meticulously constructed five songs that positively belie their young age and relative inexperience. The EP is the glorious, compelling sound of raw, natural talent put to the test. Tracks such as anthemic single ‘Nothing Left’ offering up simple but soaring melodies that tingle the nape of your neck and leave you totally hooked. Here vocalist Matt Clarke guides you through each of the 5 tracks…

Track 1 - More To Me:

More To Me focuses on the first theme of the EP: losing family and friends. MTM is focused on a personal time for myself, of when a loved one was terminally ill. It shows my frustration of the lack of support I received from those who I'd been giving it to for years. We recorded MTM aside from the rest of the EP. We'd only practiced together a few times before we headed to the studio in September. It was a load of fun because we hadn't learnt how best to budget ourselves, so we got a hotel and had a load of fun being a band. Although we don't regret it one bit, because it created a great initial vibe of recording with Phil and Sheffield as a city.

Track 2 - Equal Measures:

Equal Measures was probably the easiest recorded, it was the least changed and the quickest to create. Lyrically it focuses on how changing certain aspects of your life can turn you upside down. The term "Equal Measures" is about regaining balance and composure.

Track 3 - Nothing Left:

Nothing Left is probably the most honest track on the EP, it focuses on the second theme of the EP: losing love. I recall finding it particularly hard to record "I didn't think that you'd leave me on this day, when the car drew up I refused to feel the weight" because those lyrics were probably the most personal I'd ever written... It's a direct train of thought I had on possibly the worst day of my life. I really shocked myself when I made it through all of that, but I suppose I have my band mates to thank for that!

Track 4 - Counterweight:

I personally wrote acoustic track Counterweight before the band was practicing, with Drew helping to later adapt it once we decided to use it. It's a great little sing along that I feel has a good impact on the EP, allowing the dynamics of the record to really show.

Track 5- Sleepless Nights Are Put To Bed:

I suppose this track is self-explanatory. It seemed fitting to put this one at the end due to the entire EP's journey lyrically and musically, coming to a resolving end on this track. This one is probably the harshest side of our sounds; the most aggressive for sure. I believe that after a certain time you should stop allowing yourself to be upset and just draw a line. That's what this song was, the line for me, and I've never looked back.” 

Equal Measures is out the 6th of April. Watch the video for 'More to Me' below. You can also check out the video for Nothing Left here. 

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Milestones | Equal Measures Review

Manchester pop punk/ alt. rock band Milestones are set to released their debut EP, ‘Equal Measures’, on the 6^th of April. If you're a fan of upbeat, melodic alt. rock/ pop punk such as You Me At Six, Moose Blood etc., Equal Measures is definitely something you should be checking out this spring. Vocalist Matt Clarke had this to say about the new release: “One of our main aims in creating these songs was to make people turn away and think, “Okay, these guys are good, but I have no idea what their next release is going to be like. Whilst it’s obvious we’ve taken some massive influences from bands like Neck Deep and You Me At Six, but I don’t think we isolate our sound like a lot of the new pop-punk bands around at the moment might. We feel we’ve left so much room for growth in our sound. It’s not as easy to do that, but I hope people appreciate the diversity our record has, whilst still offering up the catchy hooks and melodic leads that pop punk and alternative rock are renowned for.” He definitely has a point, with each song meticulously crafted to find the right balance between upbeat pop punk melodies and alt. rock sentiment. 

The EP starts off with 'More To Me', which Milestones have already released a video for (watch it below). The song is the most upbeat from the EP with the pop punk influences transgressing through. However, varying styles and dynamics can be heard throughout with all the different parts weaving together to create a brilliant opening track. Next up comes the title track, 'Equal Measures', which begins as soft and haunting but builds up to a colossal effort filled with a heavy riff and atmospheric vocals.  

'Nothing Left', like 'Equal Measures', starts off slow and builds up. The chorus is one of the most powerful on the EP and is backed up by a selection of ardent and emotive guitar and drum parts. The acoustic section three-quarters of the way through is a nice touch and adds a divergent level within the song. 

'Counterweight' is the only acoustic song from the EP and Milestones have done a great job of it. It's simple yet effective with vocalist Matt Clarke's voice resonating across different notes in his range. The vocals plus the acceding guitar will undoubtedly make it a fan favourite. The closing track, 'Sleepless Nights Are Put To Bed', is the heaviest song on the EP, with authoritative riffs and energetic lyrics. It sounds vigorous and fervent as the EP comes to a close and shows what a great statement Milestones have made with their debut EP.    

Overall, the Equal Measures is an awesome first effort from Milestones. They've really defined their style with this first release displaying their potential and talent across the whole of the EP. We can't wait to hear more releases from them in the future.  

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Milestones Release New Video

Milestones have just released a new video for their song 'Nothing Left'. The band, who hail from the north west of the UK, are due to release their debut EP 'Equal Measures' on the 6th of April. The band have already released their first single from the EP, 'More to Me' (which you can check out here), but are now showcasing more of their talent with new release 'Nothing Left'.



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Fury Fest Announcement

Fury Fest have just announced that this year's line-up will include Motion City Soundtrack playing 'Commit This To Memory' in full. The line-up will also include Man Overboard, Trash Talk, Astroid Boys, Moose Blood, ROAM, Trashboat, Blood Youth, Waster, Boston Manor, Bearing Loss, Please Head North and Milestones with more to be announced. The festival will take place over two days on the 2nd and 3rd of May. Tickets go on sale February 13th.