LP - 140g Black Vinyl. Featuring The War Office and Notes from the Aftermath.
A band built on friendship across three cultures, that’s the foundation for Monitors; settled in mainland Europe, they combine talent from Liverpool, Bihać, and Paris. Having joined Manchester’s AnalogueTrash at the start of 2021, the band are ready to unleash their post-punk electro fused label debut The War Office on 2nd April 2021.
The pan European representation is provided by Chris Remick (Liverpool, England) on lyrics and vocals, Emil Balic (Bihać, Bosnia) composer and bass player, and Feodor Trotta (Paris, France) on drumming duties, providing huge beats to an already impressive live sound. Having self-released their debut EP Notes From The Aftermath in 2019, the new EP is an expansion on the themes explored in that release; political corruption, isolation, addiction, and ecology are all addressed here; but with a more melodic, broader and far more expansive edge than before.
The six track EP kicks off with the supremely funky The Drill, a fuzz-bass-hi-hat-pulverising tour de force that demands you move with energy, but as with all Monitors songs the inspiration and subtext is somewhat darker - here inspired by the descent into madness of August Natterer. “He had a hallucination of 10,000 images in 30 minutes” says Chris, “to the point where after committal he believed he was the illegitimate child of Napoleon and a ‘redeemer of the world’. This song deals with the instability of the mind and its power over the body to inspire, enlighten but potentially to also destroy.”
The band makes the most of their individual and combined influences, with Chris very much a fan of post-punk staples such as The Fall, Can, Joy Division, Damo Suzuki and “any artist that has an ambition to really push the boundaries of the possible” continues Chris, “artists like Kate Bush and David Bowie.” Contrast this with Emil who says “I’m really into the more contemporary artists than Chris. My influences are much more around modern techno and dance music.”
Bloody Mary is a prime example of how these seemingly disparate musical influences converge with the band’s love of the wider arts. It’s a track inspired by Abel Ferrara’s cop movie Bad Lieutenant with a twist that the song’s hedonistic, debauched and unforgiving central character is now a female protagonist. “This is what happens when the guys from Monitors are locked-down in the three corners of Europe” says Emil, “this song is dedicated to the demonised and marginalised spirits.”
Meanwhile, the uplifting Glass provides a song about youthful optimism complete with all the enthusiasm and uncertainty that accompany it. It shares similar themes with recent single Previously… written as a story of a brother and sister making their escape from domestic violence together for the first time, but in Glass these new feelings are treated with a more hopeful outlook.
The War Office sees Monitors’ style develop beyond post punk and electro, their eclectic influences meaning those that are fans of alt-rock and darkwave/new wave will find themselves wanting Monitors as a new addition to their playlists.
Tracklist:
A1. The Drill
A2. Roses & Wine
A3. Glass
A4. Previously…
A5. Terms & Conditions
A6. Bloody Mary
B1. No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs
B2. Clocks
B3. 20 20
B4. Ribs
B5. World of Mirrors