From the thunderous feedback of Les Rallizes Dénudés to the pioneering noise of Merzbow, Japan boasts a proud tradition of sculpting noise. Post-rock outfit MONO are no exception, weaving their own melancholic take on drifting and unstructured rock. Latest single Ely’s Heartbeat comes replete with all the drifting guitar licks and chiming ambience the genre expects.
A first taste of upcoming album Requiem For Hell, brooding overtones over shoe-gazing vibrations push the track between sweeping builds and climatic swells. Rolling between mournful turbulence and elation, the track’s tempo is built around the heartbeat of a friend of the group’s unborn child. The musical notion ties into the theme of the forthcoming album which will reportedly touch upon underpinning themes of life, death, beginnings and endings.
Again teaming up with long-time collaborator Steve Albini, the track features the producer’s flair for driving guitar licks and low-end rumble. While Albini may have sat aside during the shoegaze heydey of key influences My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, the producer proves more than adept at capturing the group’s ambrosial textures. Sitting aside coarser elements are elegant strings arrangements and delicately minimal percussion. Instrumental layers of the group’s soupy sonic concoction leak together to create an almost dreamlike state. You can listen to Ely’s Heartbeat below:
Requiem For Hell will be dropping October 14 via Temporary Residence Ltd.