Real Love – MONOWHALES Interview and CMW 2018 Spotlight
MONOWHALES have been steadily building a reputation for putting on energetic and memorable live shows, and as they prepare to release their debut EP, Control Freak, that reputation is growing!
We caught up with Sally Shaar and Jordan Circosta before the band’s show during Canadian Music Week to talk about their music, the summer, songwriting, and to play a round of 5 Quick Questions.
The band’s latest single, Real Love, acts as a great intro to the upcoming EP (June 1, 2018) and more importantly, is a great listen, with an important message. It’s about an abusive relationship and the song and video work together to illustrate the depths of delusion that can be reached by someone addicted to their lover. And while the message is serious, during their CMW show on Wednesday night, it made the people on the floor at The Phoenix move. In fact, the entire set was an invitation to dance and have a good time. As a band, all four members of MONOWHALES facilitate the fun – it’s easy to see that they love being on stage, and they produce a ton of energy that flows to the crowd.
PLUS, Sally is a daredevil who showed her mettle when she jumped headlong into the audience and crowd surfed her way to loud cheers from the Toronto crowd. It was awesome!
The buzz for the band is real. Their live show is legit, and people are loving Real Love.
Heck, pair Real Love with their first single, Take It Back, and you’ve got yourself the start of a dance party playlist that is ready for any night of the week.
We asked Sally and Jordan about their writing process for the album, and they told us that it’s a joint effort within the band. There are times when someone may come in with an idea and have the rest of the group come in on it, and there are other times when song ideas are conceived right there in the collaboration of the band. While we were talking about songwriting, we asked about their must-haves when they walk into a session. To our delight, they answered with Coffee and Notebook/Pen. They didn’t know it, but those are two of our favourite answers of all-time.
Sally and Jordan told us that MONOWHALES are excited to share their new music with fans. The work on the Control Freak EP started last summer when they teamed up with producer AL-P (MSTRKRFT, Death From Above 1979) and now, with the first two singles released, they’re ready for June 1 to get here so everyone can hear the rest.
Their excitement level makes us excited.
Before it was time to get back inside to get ready for the show to start, we played a round of 5 Quick Questions… here we go!
5 Quick Questions with MONOWHALES
Q1) If you’re on a road trip and can only play one album on the drive, which do you choose?
Sally) Mac DeMarco’s Salad Days
Jordan) Tycho’s Drive
Q2) Do you remember the first album that you bought?
Sally) Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time
Jordan) Eiffel 65’s Blue (Da Ba Dee) – CD Single
Q3) What would be your dream collaboration?
Sally) The Flaming Lips (who knows how weird that could get)
Jordan) The Darcys (who are making some cool music right now)
Q4) Do you have a dream venue for the band to play?
Both) Red Rocks!
Q5) Is there an artist that you think people should be listening to more?
Sally) Courtney Barnett
Jordan) Andrew Judah
Stay tuned to MONOWHALES website and socials (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) for info about the EP release, summer tour dates, and more.
You won’t be sorry you did.
MONOWHALES Upcoming Tour Dates, Summer 2018
May 31 – The Mansion – Kingston, ON
June 1 – MusicXmaker Warehouse – Ottawa, ON
June 7 – The Moustache Club – Oshawa, ON
June 8 – Mills Hardware – Hamilton, ON
June 9 – Adelaide Hall – Toronto, ON
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