Company Ink – ‘Young Milk’

 ‘Young Milk’ is the song for the alienated by Norwegian duo Company Ink.

Released ahead of their debut EP Blah Blah, ‘Young Milk’ is a dejected indie-punk dancefloor-filler. The guitars are jangly, and the vocal melodies are catchy, yet the track holds plenty of energy and fuck you attitude. It’s similar, in a sense, to The Cribs, particularly Ignore the Ignorant. But Company Ink don’t play thrashing punk rock on ‘Young Milk’. The jangly guitars are intricate, written and executed with intelligence, making them almost poetic at times. Think Johnny Marr’s solo work. The same goes for the drums – they play hard, but there’s a dance beat in the pre-chorus. The instruments complement each other perfectly.

There’s a sense of alienation and dissatisfaction in the lyrics: “I’m not into your fitness/I don’t care who is the fittest/…/I’m not into your sense of community”. This is a song for the outsider, and Axel Moller’s vocal grunts only enhance this.

Company Ink will fit well into the rise of great punk/post-punk guitar bands. But these are not just another Shame, Idles or Fontaines. ‘Young Milk’ create a sense of doom in a danceable song. It could be today’s equivalent of Joy Division’s ‘Transmission’.

Words by Matthew Brocklehurst

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