Celebrated Eora/Sydney R&B musician, producer and engineer Milan Ring today fully embraces her new era with the announcement of her love-struck second studio album, Mangos. Out May 10 via Astral People Recordings, the record is preceded by today’s release of latest single, “Photograph”.
In a brief moment of bliss towards the backend of the record, the trip-inspired ‘Photograph’ focuses on savouring the moment and losing hours simply by being with someone you like. Milan infuses the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz within the lyrics – a powerful code of conduct on how to experience the most in life. “In a world that is finger snap instant, it’s nice to have a medium that forces one to wait. I’m not sure how the light will hit the film. All I know is that for a second, I tried to remember,” she adds.
Playful and inquisitive, Milan Ring’s Mangos is the epitome of radiant summer, oozing endless possibilities and a profound sense of lightness as she flirts across genres from alt-pop to electronica whilst also staying true to her R&B roots.
A hopeless romantic, Milan Ring asks us to surrender to love on Mangos, inviting us inward as she embarks on a journey of love that is universal yet individually complex. Through her lyrics, experimental mixing, multiple string arrangements and voice memos recorded by close friends, she outlines the stages of a relationship across one year, likening the journey to the inevitable change in seasons, reminding us that nothing stays still forever.
As is to be expected from the impressive and fiercely talented multi-hyphenate, Mangos was written, recorded, produced and mixed in her home studio on Gadigal Land in the Inner West of Eora/Sydney. Like a real-time scrapbook of thoughts, the record lays bare Milan’s authentic self, purposefully imbued with her inspirations across the course of a relationship, pulling inspiration from the natural world akin to the poetry of Mary Oliver.
Delving into new genres, a sense of cohesiveness nevertheless remains with Milan and her second voice – the guitar – alongside her signature syncopation as she marries fresh sounds together through mixing and expert producing, folding subtle nods to her heritage into her forward-thinking compositions.
Threading together previous singles ‘Mangos’ and ‘Quicksand’, it arrives as the fullest and most distilled expression of her beguiling talents to date. Between them, the singles have already garnered praise and support from the likes of COLORS, NME, The Guardian, CRACK Magazine, Wonderland Magazine, ACCLAIM, Northern Transmissions, AUD$ and many more, alongside rotation adds from Double J, FBi Radio, 2SER and extensive airplay across BBC Radio 1’s Future Artists with Jack Saunders, Future Sounds with Clara Amfo, Chillest Show with Sian Eleri, BBC 6Music, triple j and community radio stations around Australia.
A sweeping and cathartic return, Mangos finds Milan crafting love songs for both herself and others. In doing so, she reaffirms she is shades of light and dark, sensual and powerful, spontaneous and wise. Ultimately, it validates, in her words, that everyone deserves to “cultivate love with others and also a romantic relationship with yourself, with life, with nature. Keep your heart open and stay vulnerable, allow the rest to unfold as it should”.
Watch the “Photograph” visualizer HERE
Milan Ring is a fiercely talented and accomplished songwriter, guitarist, producer, mix engineer, and musical director. Praised as a leading icon in Australia’s “R&B renaissance,” her music transcends genres. Exploring the realms of alternative and electronic music through her production, she crafts ethereal vocal arrangements while centering the guitar, her second home.
She has collaborated with illustrious names such as Questlove, DRAM, Chance The Rapper’s group The Social Experiment, Intellexual, Che Lingo, Jean Deaux, TA-KU, BARKAA, Winston Surfshirt, and Sampa The Great, among others.
Mangos is the follow-up to her long-awaited 2021 debut full-length I’m Feeling Hopeful, a transportive and restorative document of her observations on mental health and addiction. The album was released to immediate and rapturous acclaim, earning Album of the Week honours at both triple j and FBi Radio, alongside further radio support from CADA, RRR, 2SER and more.
Critically lauded, praise flowed from national and international press outlets, including The Line of Best Fit (“Moving through different genres as if they’re going out of fashion, Milan Ring’s debut album is an enthralling listen”, 9/10), NME (“A definitive statement”), The Music (“A late contender for album of the year”), COLORS, CLASH, Notion Magazine, Our Culture, The Big Issue and many, many more.
It culminated in Milan picking up nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year (‘Sydney Hue (feat. BLESSED)’) at the 2022 FBi Radio SMAC Awards alongside nods for Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year and Best Independent Soul/R&B Album at the 2022 AIR Awards.
‘Quicksand’, the tether to I’m Feeling Hopeful, opens the new record by reflecting on Milan’s younger self. She touches on past struggles of breaking glass ceilings and imposter syndrome to presently wanting to be held in love by someone, “but also the polarity that ultimately you need to hold yourself” explains Milan. ‘Sunshine’, the first of three voice memos that serve as interludes, adds a layer of intimacy to the record by speaking to the initial spark of meeting someone.
From early encounters to moments of lust, the cosmic R&B and funk of ‘River Flows’ explores the sexual intertwining with another, building with sensual synths and lyrics as Australian trio OYOBI’s co-production adding a liveness that pulsates through speakers. The only feature of the album is given to South-Sudanese rapper and singer POOKIE, who performs an irresistible verse encapsulating the sensual title. Staying in lust, the glittery, disco-funk counterpart, ‘Leo’, signals the astrological alignment of compatibility as Milan chants ‘you bring out the Leo in me’, honouring an appreciation for someone who really sees you.
‘Shadows’ marks the shift in a relationship; the season is changing. In between Milan’s woozy guitar, tabla drums and vocals referencing Indian classical music – another nod to her heritage – an honest voice admits, ‘we tried to overlook some cracks because we really wanted to make it work’. This change is embodied in the vinyl release with the interlude appearing first on side B. Like flipping the record, we see the other side of love as we leave summer behind.
‘High As The Moon’ is a sexy, yet bittersweet track led by the grinding of Milan’s guitar. Adopting the vocalese jazz technique, the guitar is brought to the forefront in this track, matched with lyrics that poignantly convey the sensuality and inevitably of a relationship that cannot be repaired. Recalling 90s R&B energy, ‘To & Fro’ is an empowering track marked by guitar riffs and a memorable acapella ending that highlights the non-resistance of life. “Accepting the ebbs and flows of life and not having a victim mentality. To me, through this way, you can be open to love and know your self-worth,” says Milan.
In closer ‘Sanctuary’, nature is prevalent. We’ve returned back to the present and more importantly, to the self, gently reminding us that we are ‘connected to it all. I can’t be lonely when I have it all’. Good friend and Filipino Wiradjuri musician Mo’Ju completes the track with a reassurance that’s intended to stick with you, ‘just because your love changes, doesn’t mean it ends.
