Milestones have a dream and know exactly what they want. The rising UK band pull no punches when it comes to discussing where they would like to see themselves in the future. “Anyone who says they don’t want to headline Wembley Arena is lying,” states bassist Mark Threlfall. “This is the only thing we can see ourselves doing in life. Our motto is to aim big or what’s the point.”

The confidence that Milestones have gained comes from two years of giving it everything they can. “When we all met each other we all had the same drive,” explains Threlfall, discussing the bands formation in 2014. “We knew we wanted to make a career out of being in a band.”

As we catch up with the band they are on to the next step of making that dream a reality. We speak with Threlfall before they take to the stage supporting WSTR in Sheffield. He tells us that “the reception to our shows have been perfect,” and they “couldn’t ask anymore from the audience.” At the time of writing they will be about half way through the two week run, which he adds have been “high energy shows where we really try to get the crowd involved.”

People are catching on to Milestones quickly and this is now their sixth – and longest- UK tour. The adoration for the band is largely coming off the back of their excellent debut EP, ‘Equal Measures.’

“Fans really seem to get it, and are interpreting the lyrics in their own way,” says Threlfall of the EP. He then gives a bit of background to ‘Equal Measures’, divulging its true message. “It basically tells a story of personal experiences from our vocalist, Matt. Be that relationships, or not feeling comfortable with himself,” he explains, adding that ultimately, the meaning is to “never be ashamed of who you are.”

The EP itself is five tracks of glistening pop-influenced, alternative rock. It draws from indie as much as it does punk, with shimmering melodies that get their hooks into you. “I like to think it’s a mix of our favourite genres rolled into one,” continues Threlfall. “We don’t try to be a pop punk band, or an emo band, or whatever. We’re just taking what we love and interpreting it in our own way. Of course, people can hear it how the want.”

With their sound straddling the lines of pop punk, Threlfall opens up about the stigma often attached to the genre. “I see us as taking the pop factor of bands we like and pushing it towards indie,” he says, confessing Milestones enjoy listening to Justin Bieber and One Direction without any shame. “Sure, some of the tonalities are similar to pop punk, but we try to experiment with it and push the boundaries of what we can do as a band.”

Milestones penchant for taking the sound in a new direction has earned them praise from not only fans, but the industry as well. It’s proof of their ability to stand out in a very rich pool of talent. The peak came with the band being picked up by the well-respected US label, Fearless Records. “It’s a cliché thing to say, but working with Fearless is like a dream come true for us,” gushes Threlfall, expressing his gratitude for their current home.

“They have been on our side with everything we have wanted to do so far,” he continues. “Signing with a label and trying to make this your livelihood is one of the biggest things a band can do, but you have to take that plunge.”

While Threlfall tells of the dreams and aspirations of the band, he is also aware of the luck they have their side. “We were able to catch the right eye at the right time I think,” he says, discussing the people that believe in Milestones. “When you have a label, or a manager, or an agent saying, “You can do this!” it’s a real confidence boost. It makes us feel like we really can.”

Even with ‘Equal Measures’ only being released back in July of this year, Milestones are already thinking about the immediate future. It seems that new music may not be that far away. “We are already writing and demoing new songs,” says Threlfall, confessing a plan is in the works for their debut full-length. “We’re trying to imagine the perfect album we want to create. It will keep our sound from ‘Equal Measures’, but we want to take that as far as we can and see what we can do with it.”

‘Equal Measures’ is available now from Fearless Records, and you can catch Milestones on their remaing shows with WSTR, which you can see the dates for below.

October
29 STOKE The Underground
31 LIVERPOOL O2 Academy 2

November
01 LEICESTER The Scholar
02 LONDON The Camden Assembly
03 CARDIFF Clwb Ifor Bach
04 PLYMOUTH The Underground
05 BOURNEMOUTH The Anvil