Ali McGuirk Premieres ‘Milk’ Single

Ali McGuirk’s video for her latest single, “Milk,” premieres exclusively below. The song appears on the Burlington-based singer-songwriter’s forthcoming album, Til It’s Gone, which comes out September 16 on Signature Sounds.

“I wanted heavy guitar and rock and roll on this record, and I think ‘Milk’ really delivered that,” McGuirk told JamBase. “It’s the last song on the record and one of my favorites. To me it’s like a dystopian love song. I wanted the vocals to be distorted and the guitars to be out front. Jeff Lockhart (my favorite guitar player on the planet) really brought it home.”

McGuirk recorded Til It’s Gone in Los Angeles with producer Jonah Tolchin. In addition to Lockhart and Tolchin’s guitars, “Milk” features Larry Goldings on organ, Nic Coolidge on bass and Kevin Clifford on drums. Others who contributed to Til It’s Gone include vocalist Valerie Pinkston, percussionist Lenny Castro and Little Feat guitarist/mandolinist Fred Tackett.

The album was previously previewed by the singles “All Back” and “X Boyfriends.” The third single, “Milk,” arrived with a poignant accompanying visual created by McGuirk. Regarding the captivating video, McGuirk stated:

“There are some metaphors embedded into the song that play on nature imagery and agriculture; I think I was making some connection between love and nourishment as I was writing the lyrics. I wanted to conjure those images in the video. This was my first time ever video editing or making a music video like this and I used all footage from the public archives.

“The protesters are in Paraguay, mostly Guarani Kaiowa and Yrybucua, up against the soy industry and pollution of their land. There is some graphic imagery that’s tough to watch, but I feel that it’s a reminder of the real human consequences of our unjust and unsustainable global food systems. The people in this video have been defending themselves and the biodiversity of Paraguay for decades and have suffered so much chemical contamination and loss of their homes; it’s heartbreaking. (More on them here).”

“Milk” officially releases tomorrow, Wednesday, Setpember 7. Pre-order Til It’s Gone here. Watch Ali McGuirk’s video for “Milk,” below:

Video Sources:

• Earth Focus Episode 21: Perils of Soy and the Future of Wildlife Filmmaking
• The Land; Part I, II and III
• Tom and Jerry: Barnyard Bunk
• Honey Bees Story
• Crocus
• Quality Milk
• 1954 commercial for Instant Pet Nonfat Dry Milk