Milk (EP)

Milk is an album by The Lunatic, released on Luna Records in April 2011. It is the band's debut recording.

Recording
The EP was recorded in exactly one month (with the exception of "VeloCity".) The idea of recording an EP as opposed to a full length had been discussed in early January so that they would have something to sell and promote at Record Store Day that spring (since an album would not be feasible.)

The drum tracks were recorded on March 5, 2011 at The Dugout, a studio in south Salt Lake City. The owner, Jeff Cundiff, was a personal friend of the band and let Jack, Martin and Burby come over one Saturday morning and record for free. The songs tracked were "Blue Planet", "Attention", and "She Brings Me Back". "Whatever Happened to Tomorrow?" was recorded in bits, with the intention of programming a drum beat from the live samples. Ultimately, the band ended up using a live drum take from the March 19, 2011 performance at The Deathstar some weeks later (which was blended with samples and synth drums.)

Bass for the tracks was recorded in two sessions. The first session took place a few weeks after the drums were laid down. Kody recorded basslines for "Blue Planet", "She Brings Me Back" and "Attention". In a second session, on April 5 (the final day of recording), Kody re-recorded "She Brings Me Back" and added bass to "Whatever Happened to Tomorrow?"

Guitars were primarily recorded on March 26, 2011, a Saturday, between the two bass sessions. Jack and Martin, having just recorded Est Lunaticus the night prior, drove to Austin's parent's house in Heber, UT where they set up their amps in the basement recorded "Blue Planet", "Attention" and "She Brings Me Back".

"Fireplace" was recorded in its entirety in the early hours of the morning on April 2nd at Jack's home studio.

A second guitar session took place on Saturday, April 2, at Jack's parent's house (also in Heber.) Jack and Martin arrived at 4 o'clock (leaving a sickly Krista nearby at Joe's house) and set up in the basement to record "Whatever Happened to Tomorrow?", which took approximately four hours.

Lead vocals for the album were recorded during the evening of April 3, 2011. Recording was wrapped up the next two days with Austin, Kody, Jack and Martin all gathering at Jack's home studio to record backup vocals. The album's recording was completed around 11pm on April 5, 2011 as Martin sang the opening to "Attention", which was fitting since the opening of "Attention" is the first thing Jack and Martin ever recorded together.

Composition
Milk was recorded just as The Lunatic began emphasizing a new style based largely in effects pedals, while the band's early synth based emphasis had almost entirely dissolved. Krista and Brett had just recently left the band.

Kody, who joined the band less than a month prior to the recording, drastically altered and improved the sound of the band with his highly stylized sense of musicianship. The band's focus on vocal harmonies had returned, but with an emphasis on the "Queen style" of recording backup vocals. Jack's songwriting for the album had shifted towards a more energetic style. Alternatively, the EP incorporates songs from Martin just prior to a shift in his songwriting and recording technique—both of which were significantly altered by his newfound abilities with the Ebow and a growing collection of effects pedals. Martin's Ebow also significantly changed the sound of the band, adding a spacey, atmospheric texture. It is almost wholly responsible for the arrangement of "Whatever Happened to Tomorrow?" Ebow also plays a large part in "Fireplace".

Title
The title "Milk", suggested by Martin and instantly approved by Jack, is an allusion to the band's name prior to The Lunatic. Jack liked the idea of a white album cover, which further added to the name's relevance.

Artwork
The artwork, conceived by Jack and Martin, pays homage to Rotten Apples, the Smashing Pumpkins' Greatest Hits compilation. The photograph used on the cover was taken by Krista Mergist at an early Monday morning photoshoot on April 4 (as the band only had time to take pictures between 9 and 10:30 AM) on Redondo Road (just outside Salt Lake City.)

Martin edited the photograph on the cover and arranged the photos (taken over the course of recording the album) and layouts for the inside jacket.

Release
The album will be released on April 15, 2011 at a Record Release Party hosted by The Deathstar.

Reception
Milk was released to positive reviews. Upon the album's release, resident music blogger Alex Pow listed The Lunatic as one of Provo's "Bands to Watch ". The Provo Music Guide called Milk "one of the best recordings to come out of Provo's indie scene in a long time."

Personnel
The Lunatic Additional Musicians
 * Nathan Burby – drums
 * Austin Cook – guitar, vocals, engineering, production
 * Jack Mergist – vocals, guitar, piano, production, mixing, engineering, layouts, mastering
 * Martin Michalek – vocals, guitar, production, engineering, layouts, art production, design
 * Kody Yardley – bass, vocals, engineering, production
 * Jack Allen – cello on "Fireplace"
 * Krista Mergist – vocals on "VeloCity", photography

Tracklisting
All songs written by The Lunatic.