There’s a certain cosmic energy that strings together the scenes of the newest music video for the track “Upside 85” (streaming below) by Oakland trio Milk For The Angry; the randomness is reworked into a psychedelic reality quite easily, through flashing images of thrashing, glitter-soaked bodies, a live performance, and lone motorcyclist on the freeway. The grunge-soaked garage rock is heavy with psychedelic influences, riffing off of the surf-sensibilities of the scene. Listening to “Upside 85”—or frankly, any track by the Cali natives—feels like stepping into a wonderfully gritty postcard of the Golden State. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the band, founded by Dana Windstorm and Matt Kerslake after a chance encounter in a Bay Area drum shop, is essentially a living mythologization of what it means to be a musician in California. Or maybe it’s just something about the reverb. Regardless, it’s difficult to listen to this track without stepping back afterwards and thinking, “there’s something special here.” Milk For The Angry is playing a string of local shows soon, with the next announced date being February 28th at Bottom of the Hill. – Lilly Milman
