Monotronic – Waiting for You

By starrymag | August 15, 2024

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) You are often described as an EDM artist, but how would you describe your sound?

 

A) We started off doing a lot of experimental jamming that included a very strong electronic element, I guess you might call it “Indietronica.” When covid hit the gigs dried up so I started focusing on song writing so our music has kind of morphed into more structured songs. But the experimental jamming is still part of our live performance.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Too many to name, I listen to music from all over the world – I very much get my money out of my monthly YouTube premium membership. [laugh]

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Sun Song.”

 

A) The overarching theme of the song is about the tension between where we are and where we think we should be in life – both physically and metaphorically. I had been playing the opening guitar riff on the sofa for many months without any lyrics or concept. I think I was riffing on Nirvana’s “All Apologies” initially, which then morphed into something else. And then one morning before heading to the studio, I played the riff, and out came, ‘I don’t wanna lose a minute of sleep, lying in bed and wondering what could have been.’ It had a JJ Cale ring to it, but I still couldn’t place it…so I figured it must be mine! At that point, I knew I had a concept, and the song kinda took off from there. The lyric “waiting for you” is not about anyone in particular, but more about endless searching, perhaps as a result of having the bar set too high. It’s something we can all relate to and as such left open for the listener to interpret for themselves.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think the song draws you in by being very mellow in the intro and verses, almost like a JJ Cale song. Then, the chorus goes to another place altogether. It’s the tension between the two and the sense of traveling across the lows and highs of the song.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The music video captures much of that tension as well with very vibrant colors and high contrast, like something from a Wes Anderson film.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) Not always, but in this case yes! As I mentioned, I had been noodling on guitar and first verse came to me. But I also added to the music (adding a bridge) once I knew what the song was about, so it works both ways.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) I produce all my music. I’m a bit of a micro-manager!

 

Q) Your EP Waiting for You is on the way. What can you tease are some themes you’ll be exploring on it?

 

A) The themes are all existential – more so than I realized. In hindsight I could see that all the songs share many common themes, from longing to reflections on the past, to finding one’s way in the world.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Small intimate venues are my favorite places to perform.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) It’s hard to tell. The best collaborations often come about randomly and it’s impossible to predict how the process will go, so I just try to stay open.

 

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) This may sound crazy, but I have hardly had any time to listen to music these days, as I have been so busy working on my own. But in truth I will listen to anything that sounds good. I sometimes Shazam things off the radio when I hear something that grabs me – it could be something as simple as a shaker or vocal effect.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thanks for listening, much more music on the way!