Blurring the lines between intimacy and chaos, bat zoo’s third single “Frozen Milk” is a tender and achingly raw inner reckoning – a haunting meditation on grief, growth, and the quiet strength found in vulnerability, brought to life through a beautifully chaotic, self-directed music video that celebrates resilience, connection, and the fragile dance between pain and love.
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Stream: “Frozen Milk” – bat zoo
There’s a certain kind of beauty that only reveals itself in fragility — in the moments where everything feels like it could fall apart at any second.
bat zoo’s “Frozen Milk” lives in that space: Achingly raw, tender, and hauntingly sparse, the emerging indie artist’s third single is a delicate reckoning with grief, growth, and the quiet chaos of being human. Guided by little more than soft acoustic strums, a wistful viola, and his emotionally charged falsetto, bat zoo turns vulnerability into a vessel for catharsis, confronting painful truths with poetic grace and disarming sincerity.
I know now for good
It’s not all your own
In the past that we know
You can’t make good
You were grown
Just teach me to be more
I walked to the borders
On my own to fall in (Didn’t I know)
Deep blue waters like a rolling stone
Feel it in my bones
Why do I go alone
Why don’t I remember where I came from
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the self-directed music video for “Frozen Milk,” a striking counterpoint to the song’s subdued intimacy that hits hard and leaves a lasting mark on the ears, eyes, and soul. A whirlwind of VHS-style archival footage, reckless nights, and fleeting moments of connection, the visual captures the messy, unhinged dance between escapism and emotion. It’s frenetic, it’s beautiful, and it deepens the weight of the track’s reflection on personal reckoning.
Originally released March 26th via Lekker Collective, the indie folk-leaning “Frozen Milk” follows last November’s breathtakingly cinematic “Fearful When the Sky Was Full of Lightning” and October’s seductive and soulful “Intro (The Origin of Things),” which served as bat zoo’s introduction to the world at the tail end of 2024. All three tracks will feature on the the Berlin-based singer, songwriter, producer’s upcoming debut EP The Upward Bird, set to release July 1st.
bat zoo has a way of making silence speak volumes.
On “Frozen Milk,” every fragile note feels deliberate; every pause, a breath heavy with meaning. The song’s minimalist arrangement — just soft acoustic strums, subtle viola swells, and that aching voice — leaves nowhere to hide, allowing the weight of his words to linger in the air and sink into the bone. It’s a meditation on isolation, self-reckoning, and the poignant acceptance that comes with realizing you can’t outrun yourself. “I know now for good, it’s not all your own / In the past that we know, you can’t make good,” the artist confesses in the song’s opening moments, setting the tone for a piece steeped in reflection and surrender.
I know I can’t make good
When I’m on my own
Cause nothing ever came my way
I’m here on my own
I know now for good
It’s not all your own
In the past that we know
It really had hold on me
I kept my eyes closed
There’s a deep sense of wandering throughout “Frozen Milk” – both physically and emotionally. Imagery of walking to borders and falling into deep blue waters evokes a restless search for clarity, while recurring questions like “Why do I go alone?” and “Why don’t I remember where I came from?” tap into a universal longing for grounding and understanding. bat zoo captures that bittersweet space between regret and growth – where acceptance doesn’t erase pain, but transforms it into something achingly beautiful, even necessary.
And then comes the chorus — a gentle, yet powerful release. As bat zoo repeats, “I walked to the borders on my own to fall in / Deep blue waters like a rolling stone / Feel it in my bones,” there’s a sense of surrender, but also of liberation. It’s the sound of someone acknowledging their pain, no longer fighting the tide but letting it carry them toward some form of acceptance. The simplicity of these lines, paired with the song’s open, airy arrangement, creates a moment of profound emotional clarity — where grief, regret, and growth coexist in delicate harmony. It’s a quiet, hard-won catharsis: Not explosive, but deeply felt, like an exhale after holding your breath for too long.
I walked to the borders
On my own to fall in
Deep blue waters like a rolling stone
Feel it in my bones
Why do I go alone
Why don’t I remember where I came from
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And it’s this raw vulnerability that makes the juxtaposition of the “Frozen Milk” video all the more striking.
As bat zoo explains, it isn’t just a montage of youthful abandon — it’s a portrait of people running from grief, numbing pain with thrills, and searching for meaning in the madness. Beneath the disorder lies tenderness, love, and the fragile hope that keeps us holding on.
“This video is pure chaos – the kind that makes you feel alive even while it tears you apart,” bat zoo tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s totally different from the song, with flashes of moments from personal archival footage. bat zoo and his friends aren’t just partying — they’re escaping grief, numbing themselves with self-destructive thrills that quickly spiral. The fun fades, and it’s no longer about enjoying the moment—it’s just about getting away from everything. But under all the madness, there’s real love and connection, those small moments that make it all worth it. It’s about finding balance between pain and love, and the fragile beauty of holding on. After all the destruction, what’s left is the reason we keep going.”
The “Frozen Milk” video is a kaleidoscope of memories and moments – a beautifully chaotic montage where joy, pain, and reflection collide in a blur of light and shadow. Flickering between shots of city streets, dense woods, childhood photos, protests and police in riot gear, late-night highways shone only by bright headlights, glistening disco balls, dancing bodies, fairs, and fireworks, it feels like watching a life flash by in fragments – untamed, unfiltered, and unapologetically human. There’s a restlessness to the VHS-style footage, capturing the reckless abandon of youth alongside the weight of a world that’s constantly pressing in. Yet, as the video unfolds, the chaos gives way to something softer and more intimate: Lovers kissing, friends embracing, people dancing beneath open skies – in the light and in the dark.
“I want to create something that hits emotionally, leaving the viewers both unsettled and touched, while also reminding them of the shared human experience,” bat zoo shares. “Inspired by Joji’s ‘Glimpse of You,’ the idea is to create a dynamic contrast between what is heard and seen, enhancing the emotional impact. This approach seeks to connect deeply with the viewer, offering a moment of vulnerability and strength that resonates universally.”
I walked to the borders
On my own to fall in
Deep blue waters like a rolling stone
Feel it in my bones
Why do I go alone
Why don’t I remember where I came from
The final moments linger on celebration – a testament to resilience, community, and the fleeting beauty of shared experience. As fireworks light up the night and the music fades, bat zoo leaves us not in despair, but in a space of sentimental reflection – reminding us that even amidst turmoil, there’s light to be found in connection.
With “Frozen Milk,” bat zoo invites us to sit in the discomfort of growth, to find solace in vulnerability, and to recognize the beauty within life’s messiest moments.
It’s a reminder that even when we feel lost, isolated, or overwhelmed by the weight of our own stories, there’s meaning to be found — in reflection, in connection, and in the quiet strength it takes to keep moving forward. Both the song and its visual companion leave us with that delicate truth: We may walk to the borders alone, but we don’t have to stay there.
Watch the “Frozen Milk” music video exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and stay tuned for more to come from bat zoo as he continues to release songs off his upcoming debut EP, The Upward Bird (out July 1st)! In the meantime, let “Frozen Milk” be a gentle reminder that even in our most fragile moments, there’s strength in feeling, and light to be found on the other side.
I know I can’t make good
When I’m on my own
Cause nothing ever came my way
I’m here on my own
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:: stream/purchase Frozen Milk here ::
:: stream/purchase The Upward Bird here ::
:: connect with bat zoo here ::
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Stream: “Frozen Milk” – bat zoo
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© Hannah Riedel video by Calvin Bynum
© Hannah Riedel
video by Calvin Bynum:: Stream bat zoo ::
