Arnaud Fradin in interview “28 years with Malted Milk and still the same desire!”

28 years of Malted Milk and we still can’t get enough. So when the band announces a new album, it’s obviously good news. The next one (the title is revealed in this article) promises to be short but dense, like a pause and a reflection on today’s world. In a fascinating interview for Blues Actu Radio, Arnaud Fradin lifts the veil on this new project, and much more!

🎤 Interview with Arnaud Fradin

Hello Arnaud. First, can you reveal the title of this album? The last one referred to your birth year, does this one celebrate your 50th? Is it finished, and what’s the release date?

The album will be called Time out. It is the idea of taking a break, or even a change, almost societal, echoing everything happening today. The song of the same name was started a few months ago, and we reoriented it a bit with current events. It is still in progress, because it is being made with collaborations, but that is the track that gives the album its title.

The album continues the previous one, since some tracks date from the same period, notably the lockdown. So there are fragments from that time, but it is also quite an eclectic record. We stay around soul, blues and funk, but each song really has its own color, its atmosphere, its little story. Like the previous one, it will be fairly short, but with real variety. We remain in the tradition of North American music, while trying in production to mix things up.

In June the first single, What a night, came out in a very sensual soul style, in the same vein as the album 1975. Is the rest in the same register or are there stylistic variations, maybe a return of funk?

Yes, at least a bit on two or three tracks. There are some very funky and very danceable ones anyway. Some are already part of the new set we are playing in concert. Tracks we also wanted to build for the stage. Songs that are fun to play live. And yes, ones that light the place up.

So how many tracks will be on this record? The previous one had only 8.

There will be 8 as well.

“Around this core, everyone contributes”

Will we find Marco Cinelli again, or possibly other collaborations and guests?

Marco Cinelli, who had already written lyrics for the previous album, also wrote for this one. We had a lot, and not everything made it onto 1975, so we kept some for the next one. And there is Ben L’Oncle Soul, who is on a kind of ballad that we co-wrote. These days, the idea is to release shorter albums, because people do not listen to everything, and there are always tracks that fall through the cracks. I prefer fewer tracks, but well crafted.

With Marco, we really worked on the lyrics together. He was in the studio with me, we co-wrote and fine-tuned as on the previous album. He is mainly on the lyrics, and then the rest is done with the band, especially the core: Igor Pichon, who is always very present on composition and production, as for 1975, and Damien Cornelis, who is also very involved in writing.

Around this core, everyone participates. In general, we write together on the spot, not each person on their own bringing a song to rehearsal. It is truly collective work: we play, we exchange, like a jam that ends up becoming a song. We share a lot of feelings, we listen to things, and it inspires a groove or the beginning of a song. We are really in that dynamic: sharing, inspiring one another, and bringing everyone into the creation.

So you are keeping the same formula, label, production and arrangements?

Yes, Igor Pichon is very present with me on the final outcome, on the precision of the arrangements. We talk a lot about choices, we will say, “hey, what if we tried it like this?” Everyone stays open to testing. Even up to the mixing stage, we keep asking questions with the mixer, Loris Marzotto, a friend who was already on 1975. He was very present on the artistic direction and also brought ideas and proposals in the mix. In the end it is still a real team effort, because these are colors and textures that you decide together, with Igor and Loris, who also produces Kokomo’s albums.

Which explains this more rock sound?

Yes, it is more rock, definitely. But it is good to have people who do not necessarily come from the same background. That always brings perspective and new ideas.

Was the mixing done in your studio?

No, we finalized it in Loris’s studio. I prefer that, because the problem is I am also a mixer on other projects, and I love it. But for your own project, it is really not easy. After listening to the tracks on loop, you end up losing perspective. So I need an outside view to finalize. Otherwise it is complicated: when you have worn the songs out, you do not hear them the same way anymore. Having someone else brings a different vision, maybe not exactly what I had in mind, but in any case fresher.

Soul and blues band of seven members posing in front of a rusty metal wall, all wearing beige shirts and sunglasses. — Photo: Sarah Cross

What themes are covered on this record, besides societal topics?

A bit of everything. Some tracks are more playful, like one that talks about childhood. Most of us are dads, so that comes through. For example, there is a track about superpowers, when kids imagine themselves as superheroes.

The track with Ben L’Oncle Soul is deeper. It is about taking your time to make decisions, and not deciding on a rainy day. The lyrics were written by Marco.

There is also a track about the Shounen Takumare, in the vein of 1975, with societal themes. Time out is in that register too, inspired by what is happening today, especially in the United States, but elsewhere as well. Overall, these are more serious subjects than usual. We are moving away from classic soul themes centered on love. As we get older, we feel it is important to talk about this. Soul remains a music of protest and activism.

There is sensuality too…

Yes, because we wanted to keep that lighter soul spirit. Like What a night, which simply tells the memory of a summer night with a girl, like a dream. The idea is to find a balance between lighter songs and others that are more committed, that talk about keeping your fist raised and fighting inequality.

I see you are still pursuing your two projects in parallel, Malted Milk and the Roots Combo. Why keep both separate? Is it to have more opportunities with a smaller audience?

If they are separate, it has never been for economic reasons. It is to have a smaller project than Malted Milk that can tour in parallel, with adapted budgets, in smaller venues or festivals. At the beginning it was a blues duo with Thomas Troussier, to reconnect with those roots I love. The Roots Combo is really the anchor in blues.

When we made the first album, we wanted to bring in a drummer and a bassist. Artistically it made sense, because they have that culture too, and at the same time it was practical. It meant that if we booked Roots Combo dates, it would be the same musicians as in Malted Milk. That simplified things a lot, while keeping a real musical intention. The idea was not to do Malted Milk unplugged, but to make something different, more roots, more blues.

For me, these are two projects that coexist. And I think that over time, it also enriches Malted Milk. Richard, for example, had less experience with traditional blues as a drummer. Playing in Roots Combo gives him that more roots culture, which then feeds into Malted Milk. In the end, everyone benefits. It brings a broader vision of Black American music. And it is a project that will continue.

A group of seven musicians posing together outdoors, wearing sunglasses and dark clothing, with a textured stone background. — Photo: Sarah Cross

By the way, can we also hope for a new Roots Combo album?

We are preparing a new album with the Roots Combo in parallel. The idea is that the two projects do not step on each other, with set tours for Malted Milk and for Roots Combo. These days, organizing real tours where everything follows on is complicated. With Malted Milk, doing 80 dates a year is no longer possible. You need other projects alongside so everyone has enough dates in the year. Times are tough, and concerts provide artists’ livelihoods. All the musicians in Malted Milk have other projects as well. The Combo, at first, was not for that, but it is also becoming a way to work more broadly, and it brings us together.

It is a beautiful project that I love. For the audience too, it matters, because it helps better showcase the roots of blues and to play old tracks that are not heard much anymore. And with the new album, there will also be original songs, which is great. I like having these two separate projects, even if they share the same roots. Malted Milk on one side, Roots Combo on the other. One nourishes the other. And I need to play blues in a “pure” way, even if Roots Combo remains open and not strictly traditional. We are French, with a broad musical culture, so we also try to mix things a bit.

Malted Milk has evolved quite a bit. At the beginning it was more blues. Was your meeting with singer Carl Davis decisive in the turn towards soul?

Yes, that is true. At the time I was still very much into blues, with some soul but not too much. Meeting Carl Davis and his Memphis soul culture in the 2000s was a turning point. I discovered how close it was to blues, in terms of emotion, almost the same music to me. It also coincided with the moment when Manu Frangeul, the harmonica player I had worked with for ten years, left the band. Rather than take another harmonica player, I brought in an organist, then quickly horns, which are purely soul instruments. That confirmed the shift.

Then there was an intense period, especially with Sweet Soul Blues between 2010 and 2012, with many dates and great tours. Then came the project with Tony Green, which was a big success. Over ten years it was very dense. Today, times have changed, cultural budgets are tight, and touring with nine people on the road is possible but not simple.

But we remain highly motivated. We are happy to see great dates coming, including a show at La Cigale scheduled for March 2026. We keep the faith and we are not discouraged. On the contrary, we want to win back the roads of France with our music.

So, when is the album coming out?

We are in the process of locking in the release. I had some health issues in July, so we had to slow down, which pushed some steps back. The release will be between the end of the year and early 2026.

It is not easy, because with ten to fifteen days of downtime, we had to cancel steps, and that pushed everything. We should confirm the exact date soon.

The singles will come out first. There will be one in September, then they will follow in October and November. So the singles will definitely be released before the album. And in Paris, the release party will be in March 2026!

“There was a slow evolution and many years of work”

After 28 years of Malted Milk, what is your take on the band’s evolution and on your career as a whole?

When I look back, I feel like the years flew by. Everything followed with many projects and great collaborations, like with Carl Davis at the time. We played together with part of Malted Milk, then returned to the core project. Then came the breakthrough with the horns and the first album Sweet Soul Blues, which was a real success and led to great tours with Nueva Onda.

There was a slow evolution and many years of work, and above all people who stayed. Igor has been here for 15 years, so it is no longer a revolving door of musicians as before. For several years now, it has been stable, and that creates real chemistry. Tanguy Aubre, our manager for the past 7 to 8 years, brings an outside perspective and his experience. Today, we are no longer the youngsters we once were, and social media is unavoidable. You may like it or not, but it is part of promotion, so we try to play the game, with people around us to help handle it.

We know we have to move with the times to stay on the road and keep booking dates. We question ourselves, we try to stay alert, and we avoid resting on our laurels. It is long-term work that takes time and energy, with meetings, artistic choices and thinking about development. We really try to keep that reflex of always challenging ourselves a bit.

You mentioned collaboration earlier on this new album. On tour, might there be surprise guests, people who worked on the album joining you on stage?

Yes, that is possible. I think there will be surprises for the La Cigale concert, and also for a show in Nantes at the end of December. We are going to inaugurate a new venue, and there will be a small surprise concert by the band with guests. The idea with Malted Milk is always to add that cherry on top, with shows where the audience discovers an unexpected guest. This time there might be the backing vocalists, for example.

We always try to make a Malted Milk concert feel different depending on the venue and the ambition of the date. Even for us, it changes things, and it makes the show a bit different than just being seven on stage. We have already had the “soul orchestra” setup with strings, up to 17 or 18 people on stage, and it was huge. This time it will be lighter, just with the backing vocalists and a few guests. In any case, we are preparing surprises.

On this new album, will there be a bit of a return to blues, or not at all?

For Malted Milk, no. There are tracks with a bit of slide guitar, which is blues-tinged. But overall, it is not necessarily blues in form. There are not many solos. It is true there are far fewer parts where we highlight lead guitar. We are really taking an approach where we emphasize the song’s arrangement, and we stand for the song rather than instrumental parts. We are not ruling out returning to blues forms in the future. That is not impossible. The guitar is very present, even in the live sets. The blues guitar expresses itself well in the shows too.

Is there anything you would like to add about this album?

We are really eager to get back on stage, to find dates and to keep playing festivals. We need that. Everything we do for the project is also to be on stage. We love the studio and making records, but the goal is to meet the audience live, because that is where it happens. Everyone in the band agrees, what we want is to play.

A record is pleasure as well, you spend time writing, producing and recording. But the raw and spontaneous energy is really on stage, when you defend your songs. For us, that is essential. We do not tour just for album promotion, we tour to play and to connect with the audience. That is the point.

Arnaud, thank you, and I hope to see you at a show soon.

Thank you, my pleasure.