After making 2015’s Little Mourning and 2018’s Deception Bay, Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne, the two Quebec singer-songwriters behind Milk & Bone, decided to take a break. “We had time to rest, to do something other than work all the time," Lafond-Beaulne tells Apple Music. “It did us a world of good to not put pressure on ourselves and to relive that same excitement we felt when we made our debut album.” It opened up space for Chrysalism—their third LP, which they made in LA with producer Micah Jasper—to arrive naturally. “We felt like taking things elsewhere,” says Poliquin. “Micah is a guitarist, and he worked with synthesizers, so that’s added a lot of new textures.” Not only that, but the duo embrace their penchant for pop and their desire to get people dancing. “We’ll always have intimate, personal, and introspective songs, but we also enjoyed having more freedom and being able to create a party atmosphere for the people who come and see us perform.” Here, the duo talks through Chrysalism’s metamorphosis, track by track.
“Bigger Love”
Laurence Lafond-Beaulne: “It’s the first one we wrote with Micah. While we were working on it, something magical happened, as it sometimes does, where everything falls into place so easily. The lyrics, the melody, the chords—we composed everything in three hours. After that recording session, we just knew Micah had to produce the album. The song talks about a really difficult breakup. I was at the peak of an emotional roller coaster, that moment when everything seems dark, and you feel as though there’s no way out, and you’re never going to get better. It’s always good to write when you’re in that state of mind.”
“Borders”
Camille Poliquin: “It was a very difficult track, production-wise. There’s always that one song on every album, one you plug away at and wonder if it’s gonna make the cut or not. I was doing automatic writing in the studio and wondered what it was I needed to externalize. Long-distance relationships, in the middle of the pandemic, was what frustrated me the most at the time. I normally always have the option of hopping on a plane and going to see the person I need to talk to. But I couldn’t, and it really gnawed at me.”
“Movies”
CP: “We were in LA. I’d often listen to ‘Silk Chiffon’ by Phoebe Bridgers and MUNA with the windows down and the sound of the ocean, and I felt like writing a song that would convey the same feeling. It’s our first with the guitar as the main instrument. It talks about a relationship where the love languages, the ways of expressing affection, are totally incompatible. It’s a relationship that’s doomed to fail, but you refuse to throw in the towel. You persevere out of pride.”
“Whirlpool”
CP: “You’ve got to be able to see beauty when you’re feeling down in the dumps. We’re constantly evolving. One of my favorite lines in this song is ‘open heart with no lid,’ and I think that’s the key. As long as you keep your heart open, you’ll be able to continue moving forward.”
“Time Alone”
CP: “Sometimes, even in a stable relationship where everything’s going well, you’re the wrong person. I remember not having been there, not feeling good at all, needing to spend time alone, and it had nothing to do with the other person. The idea for the song came from a short voice memo I had on my phone, which we then expanded on. It’s a really short track, a palate cleanser.”
“Piggyback”
LLB: “This one’s a reminder to ourselves that it’s OK to love deeply, that it’s OK to be vulnerable, and, more importantly, that we have the tools to get us through the kinds of ordeals that leave deep emotional scars. It’s sort of our HAIM-style song. It’s groovy with an almost pop-rock electric guitar riff and a refrain with a very clear-cut rhythm.”
“Green Dot”
LLB: “It’s a song about that intoxicating and totally unhealthy state you find yourself in when you’re waiting for a sign or an answer from someone. That moment when your life is kind of on hold, the anxiety that comes with it, that feeling of helplessness.”
“20MGs”
CP: “This one was written almost entirely in automatic-writing mode. I needed to talk about when I was depressed during our last tour. It was part of the process of releasing a new album. I needed to go back to that moment in my life, to put myself in that position again, without the pain. I find that the connection between the lyrics and the music is very effective. There’s like a heaviness that drags you forwards. That’s exactly how I felt at the time.”
“Object of Fun”
CP: “I often think about the lyrics because I still have the same frustrations I had when we wrote them. It talks of double standards in society. As a woman, you’re under scrutiny all the time. You’re not allowed to have a body, to grow old. You don’t have the right to exist without being judged, desired, and hated all at the same time. If we felt that men had a little empathy in terms of what we’re going through, I don’t think it would be as bad. The song also talks about how, in my relationships, I’ve often felt as though the other person just needed a girlfriend or a companion, and that I didn’t have the right to exist with all my complexities, my ambitions, my bad moods. We talked about HAIM and Phoebe Bridgers earlier, but this one, it’s like our Christine and the Queens track. And if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics, it’s cute and bouncy.”
“Sour”
LLB: “They say there are stages in the grieving process. ‘Sour’ is a bit like the moment, in a breakup, where you’re still clinging on, but you begin to see things more clearly because you’ve stopped idealizing the relationship. Bitterness sets in, but you’re ready to protect your well-being, without the other person. You’ve moved on to the next chapter.”
CP: “It reminds me a bit of our debut album, Little Mourning, of the moments when there’s just that one voice up above, and then the drums kick in—that sort of duality between vulnerability and anger.”
“A Little Better Every Time”
LLB: “This one would be the stage right after, when you gradually manage to detach yourself, to rebuild your life. I see it a bit like an internal dialogue. The verse is the moment when you’re not as strong, when you still want to cling on to how your relationship used to be. But then, when the refrain starts, there’s an appropriation of power, a regained confidence. We navigate between strength and fragility.”
“City Girls”
CP: “Initially, it was like an interlude. As women, we often compare ourselves to each other, and with the isolation due to the pandemic, we were able to let go.”
“Worst Year of My Life”
LLB: “Even though it’s a little dark, to me it’s a reminder that, despite the darkness, there are a lot of positive things building up for what comes next. Several tracks on this album were written in a whirlwind of emotions. I thought it would be nice to wrap it up with this one.”