Late last month, Brooklyn experimental pop rockers Milagres, broke a nearly year-long silence to announce a show at Rough Trade on October 18th. While that sort of thing usually isn't that big of a deal, the timing of it pretty much guaranteed new material was on the horizon and the band - now function as the duo of singer/songwriter/band founder Kyle Wilson and Fraser McCulloch, have decided not to let fans of theirs walk in blind tonight and shared "Are You Lonely", the first single from what's sure to be a new collection of tales.
Where their 2014 album Violent Light saw Milagres engaged in a stunning reinvention that saw the band leveling up sound with an arena rock sense of grandeur, "Are You Lonely" finds the new duo operating at a more hushed version of the more synth-centric sound they cultivated on their sophomore record. The move away from the glam-infused stadium pop isn't just a practical one however, "Are You Lonely" is an uncertain love song much like "Terrifying Sea" where Wilson attempts to forge a connection with someone based on a similar sense of loneliness. But where such feelings normally result in less than pure intentions, Wilson's ring sincere even if they might be some projection going on.
"I knew someone once, someone just you and they were lonely, lonely just like you" Wilson sings and it'd be cause for alarm if Wilson wasn't so upfront about his attempts to bridge communication with this particular person. There's something utterly charming about the way Wilson recognizes a shared loneliness in the other person that motivates him to reach out to them but he still phrases it as a question: "Are you lonely? Lonely just like me?". It's a question that reveals more about the questioner than the questioned, as Wilson frames his confession as an appeal for companionship. That vulnerability is ultimately what elevates it from creepiness.
If you're in New York City, you can hear Milagres play this song and more at tonight's show at Rough Trade. Tickets are still available here.
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