Just Milk combines ethereal beats with sounds of glowing synth-pop, dark disco, and dreamy folk vocals for a sound that is unparalleled. Just Milk recently released her new EP “Carry Your Weight” which embodies the emotional, physical, and spiritual overload we all carry with us. Just Milk brings light to these issues that many of us face through her unique perspective and sound. Tara Rook, the woman behind Just Milk, is a female electronic musician, artist, massage therapist, and she is currently training to become a yoga teacher. Just Milk encourages gender diversity within the electronic music world and gives back by partnering with organizations like Sea Change Yoga which provides trauma-informed yoga and meditation to individuals who have experienced trauma and people in marginalized groups. Her goal is to create positive growth locally through safe spaces and community healing. Continue reading for our exclusive interview with Just Milk about her recent release, visual art, healing work, and how COVID-19 has impacted her start in the music industry.

Where are you based?
Portland, Maine.

What inspired you to start Just Milk?
I started Just Milk because I was looking to create an entity to showcase the music I’ve been writing and producing for the past five to six years. I moved from NYC to Portland, Maine back in 2017. In NYC I played synths/keys in the band, Belle Mare, and also played my own music under the moniker Rook, which is my last name. To be honest, I wasn’t totally set on playing music live again when I moved to Maine… it took a toll on me in NY and I really enjoy simply writing and producing tracks in my bedroom with no real plan. So for the first year or so I was in Maine, I worked with Freda James (LA) on her track “Woman Alone”, and participated in producing projects for Synth Club (yes, there’s a synth club in Portland! *nerd alert*). Anyways, there’s this amazing producer and fellow beatmaker in Maine who goes under Mosart 212, he knew my sister that lives here too and would follow the music I put out. After asking me a handful of times to play a show I finally said yes and to put me on the bill as Just Milk. I wanted something interesting that might be catchy, or intriguing at least. I wanted to disassociate myself from what I put out there. Just Milk was originally a song I started writing in 2015, it’s now called “Win-Win” and on my Bandcamp and Soundcloud. I thought Just Milk was kind of funny and strange sounding. When I started serving tables (I worked in the restaurant industry when I lived in NY), I took on the morning shifts. People would order coffees and I would ask “would you like milk or sugar?” and they’d say “just milk”. I didn’t write orders down so I would say it in my head over and over again so I didn’t forget. It got kind of trippy. Just Milk. Just Milk. Just Milk...

Can you tell us a little bit about your music style and what genre Just Milk fits into?
My music style stems from electronic, ambient, and synth/dream pop. I write my own beats, produce my own sounds, and record my vocals. I don’t like to get super complicated or complex since I’m recording and producing so much of it myself. I heard this genre a few months ago for the first time: folktronica. I think that pretty much sums it up in the name! Also my description “Ethereal beats with sounds of glowing synth-pop, dark disco, and dreamy folk vocals.” I think experimental beats make sense here too, I can get pretty weird with beats which you can find more of on my SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

What has your experience been like breaking into the music industry in current times?
Sad, confusing, and quiet. I was moving towards starting a band before the pandemic and was putting music first with a handful of shows and DJ-ing gigs lined up. I’ve had to take a step back and look at redirecting my life as a musician to align with my values. I think the step back has been very good and allowed some other areas of my life to blossom, like my artwork. I am looking at where, how and why Just Milk can fit into the world differently. I don’t see myself touring, necessarily, I’ve been seeing Just Milk as this elusive, dreamy beatmaker and producer living in Maine doing whatever feels good. I want to help a lot of people, that’s very important to me, so what I continue to do with Just Milk needs to align with that. I’m still in a “step back” phase right now but things are starting to make a little more sense.

One are prints of the cover art Just Milk has for sale through Bandcamp with $10 of each sale going to Sea Change (https://justmilkmusic.bandcamp.com/merch/carry-your-weight-limited-edition-cover-art-print)

How has COVID-19 impacted your planning for your first release?
It has made things challenging. I love alone time, but there’s a certain energy lacking to move things forward the way we are used to. I’m accepting that. It took a while to get the music video together, we (the director and I) had to come back to it a few times. A lot happened this past year and the bandwidth to create and move forward takes a lot out of me.

Along with your music, you are also a massage therapist and a visual artist. How do you stay focused on each of your passions individually?
That’s a good question. I try to make sure I’m aligned with why I’m doing each thing. Sometimes I need to make ends meet and have to put that first by picking up jobs or more massage sessions. It is interesting seeing how everything in my life spans out. Music is difficult without the interaction of people, art makes more sense to me during times of quiet and solitude. My massage practice definitely influences my music and art. It has trained me to be very focused, steady, intentional, and to work intuitively. I am also starting to find areas that I specialize in, like for bodywork I specialize in Thai yoga massage, for artwork it’s pen and ink illustrations. I love working one on one with clients, the human body is amazing, I help people love and take care of their body and to be mindful. It is a fulfilling line of work and I’ve become a big nerd about anatomy and physiology. I think if you are called to do something that is in the role of a healer, like massage therapy, you should do it. Not everyone hears that calling, and that’s okay, but if you are called to do it you should follow your intuition, or at least try. People need help out there. I also believe there are multi-passionate humans, this is more than having hobbies because you believe in these passions as different lines of work in society. It is like you are called to do these things and it is almost painful to not share it with people and to grow. I have hobbies like running and cooking but I’m not going to try and be a chef or Olympic runner or anything like that. I have also been working on an experiential art show idea. It will encompass all three passions: art, music, bodywork. It’s still in the incubator stage and could take a while to lift off, but I see myself creating very big things and looping everything together as I continue to grow.

We love that you are partnering with the non-profit organization SeaChange to give back a percentage of your Bandcamp sales from your new track. Can you tell us a little bit about this organization, and why it is important to you?
They’re based here in Maine and offer to the community something I believe strongly in: the healing power of yoga and meditation. I grew up Buddhist and have been meditating my entire life, the benefits are fathomless. Yoga has healed my personal struggles with addiction, depression, and anxiety. It is something that should be shared with as many people as possible and not all communities have the accessibility to go to a yoga or meditation class so Sea Change brings it to them.

SeaChange brings the healing power of trauma-informed yoga & meditation to all. Can you tell us a little bit about what that means?
This is taken directly from their website “Trauma changes your brain, and yoga directly addresses those changes to the brain and nervous system using breath and movement.” Meditation also helps with that. I don’t think people realize or understand how much trauma they have gone through in life and we live in a world that uses fear for gain. Emotional and physical abuse happens constantly, yoga and meditation help to understand and release that. Yoga and meditation are positive forms of experiencing life that can become simple and sustainable habits in people's lives, but they need to be taught and encouraged.

Movement can be very healing, can you tell us a little bit about your own experiences

with this?
Movement is very healing. It connects your mind to your body and vice versa. It cultivates spatial awareness, engaging proprioception, and finding balance through your body and space. My relationship with movement has ebbed and flowed, I used to be a ballet dancer, then a modern dancer, then a runner, and now I have a consistent yoga asana (poses/vinyasa/yin) and practice daily. As a massage therapist, I specialize in Thai massage which is a lot of assisted stretching and range of motion for my clients. I help to heal others by moving their bodies. I am in Yoga Teacher Training so I can teach others how to move their bodies in their own unique, therapeutic, and supportive ways. I think energy can get very “stuck” in bodies and the sensation that this stuck energy causes, often called “pain” lead to emotional discomfort causing one to suffer. If we know how to move our bodies correctly we can release the stuck energy, releasing the blockades and allowing energy to move freely and efficiently throughout our systems.

COVID has been a weird time. There has been a lot of trauma and less movement. How would you like to see others make sure they are staying healthy during these times?
I would love to see humanity less scared of going inward. People are frightened of themselves and they cannot face what’s inside. This way of living is detrimental to the mental health of individuals and of society. I think music can help with that and I think the music I put out is made for people to pause and reflect. I believe it’s “headphone” music, like a good way of listening to my music is to put some headphones on and walk around outside. I also believe that if people were to go inwards more through constructive relaxation (yoga, meditation, solitude) they will discover they don’t need as much as they thought, they can live a simpler life and be okay. A big part of trauma stems from attachment and not being able to let go, to release, and to move on.

You are very focused on healing and putting out good energy, how are you managing to stay positive during shelter in place?
I am. I have a consistent daily routine which helps, sometimes I don’t do everything but for the most part upon waking I journal, meditate and do yoga. I also stretch my body often during the day which helps move my stuck energy. I notice a significant mood difference after yoga even if it’s only for ten or fifeteen minutes. I did get very depressed last year and thought about going on antidepressants a few times, I had many breakdowns and sustained low moods and I questioned my existence. Instead, I focused on artwork, intense cognitive therapy sessions, and getting regular bodywork on myself. It took a lot to move through. Helping people through my massage therapy practice improves my mood as well, sometimes it can be draining especially as an empath, but as long as I keep my boundaries up I find it positively affects me.

What is your life motto?
“Bless This Mess.” Haha. That was my motto during 2020. “Be Yourself” has stuck with me for a while now. It’s a Frank Ocean track, and just a great thing to remember. It’s easy to lose authenticity as a creator and human in general, there is a lot influencing us right now. I deleted my Facebook recently and am starting to grow cautious of other social media. I think it changes who I am and I’d rather spend time reading, researching, meeting people, and being in nature.

You can follow Just Milk at the below platforms:
justmilkmusic.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/justmilkmusic
Instagram: justmilkmusic and taramrook

Photography by Bonnie Durham.

A New Name in Electronic Music: Just Milk