dreamy and melancholic
On wanderlust dreamy post rocker Somebody Else by Norwegian indie rock band Monalia the band mines feelings of movement, of dreams and hope and while they call their post punk wash "mountainsurf" I feel this track has, in some ways, an elevated sense. Elegant tones and melodies within the indie rock, a vastness within the guitars and in between the vocal lines. At least, I hear this kind of majesty that feels like the cerebral and emotional heart inherent in bands like the iconic Moody Blues or Echo and The Bunnymen. Of the track, vocalist Stine Helén Tunstrøm offers:
“When who you thought you were, doesn’t correspond with who you are or what you do, it causes a cognitive dissonance, a discrepancy between attitudes and actions, between feeling and reality. That feeling is awful. So the song is really about finding yourself again. As children we all have ideas about how life will turn out, and anything is possible. But as we grow up dreams often have to give way to reality. We allow ourselves to be distracted by insignificant things, and intimidated by the low odds of success. Monalia wants to awaken the dreamer that exists within us all. Because it is always better to have tried and failed than to regret that you never tried at all."
“The lyrics were inspired by a time in my life where I found myself trapped in security and comfort, both career-wise and personally. I had forgotten that I moved to Oslo for the opportunities the capital has to offer, and after ten years I realized that I actually had not taken advantage of them. It was time to do something before life passed me by,” Tunstrøm explains further.
Monalia is Terje Halmrast (guitar, vox), Vegar Eriksfallet (drums), Bendik Dræge Orvan (bass), Svein Petter Nilssen (guitar, keys) and Stine Helen Tunstrøm (vox).
- Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
Monalia is a Norwegian indie-band with a characteristic dreamy and melancholic style. Their songs stretches from the dark and mystical to the dreamy and melodic, inspired by the everyday joys and struggles we face as human beings. Their unique style of music called mountainsurf, is in the alternative rock genre, and influenced by the Norwegian nature, as well as popmusic from the 60s, with its melodic and catchy melodies, and music from the british underground scene through the 80s and the 90s, with its floaty, psychedelic, introverted soundscape.
After releasing an EP in 2016 and several singles, Monalia finally released their debut album, “So Much Better” on April 5th 2019. Several songs from the album got airplay on national radio and received outstanding reviews from Norwegian and international music bloggers, and from critics. Amongst them the most esteemed music program on Norwegian national radio, Stjernepose, NRK P13, which claimed the album to be "one of the best albums from Norway in 2019 ". Their songs has also been listed on French radio and been played on radio stations in the US, UK and New Zealand through the renowned radio show, "Ola's Kool Kitchen"
Band members:
Terje Halmrast - Guitar, Vocals
Vegar Eriksfallet – Drums
Bendik Dræge Orvan – Bass
Svein Petter Nilssen – Guitar, keys
Stine Helen Tunstrøm - Vocals
No comments:
Post a Comment