Hidden Shoal Recordings Sign New York Indie Pop Outfit Monocle

Perth, Western Australia and Brooklyn, New York August 19th, 2007. The Australian digital music label, Hidden Shoal Recordings, today announced the signing of New York indie pop outfit Monocle to its roster of artists.

Rich Bennett curiously slept through just about every night of his infancy and grew up dreaming through his days. Involved in many musical projects over the years, he began to retreat back to the bedroom, that familiar place to sleep, dream and play. Inspired by the ethereal-but-intense sonic landscapes of Stereolab, Komeda, Kraftwerk and others, he put together old Nomad organs, shoegaze guitars, electronic drums, and fleshed out ideas that had been fermenting for a long time, producing the initial demos that laid the groundwork for Monocle’s four-song EP, Lounge Act. The combination of sugary pop, dark lyrics and heavy sounds set Monocle firmly on its path.

“Imagine, if you will, the somnambulant bliss of Broadcast mixed up with that distinctive Slint-style bass, the playful bossa of a throwaway Stereolab B-side and, perhaps most strikingly – a great big nod towards the glamorous-yet-underachieving shoegazers Lush” – Vinyl Vulture

Following the April 2006 release, Bennett set out to assemble a live band to further realise his vision. Matt Filler, his cohort from Friendly Bears, remained on board as guitarist. New to the fold were bassist Dan Shuman and drummer Max Goldman, both with extensive backgrounds in jazz as well as pop music, along with new vocalist Sunny Kim, who helped give a different voice to the Monocle sound. In performances, the idea rapidly transitioned into a true band.

Monocle’s first full-length album Outer Sunset reflects a decidedly edgier, denser approach both compositionally and performance-wise. Monocle’s sound evokes Ennio Morricone and Danny Elfman just as much as Stereolab. The band’s hard work in performance of this material during 2007 lifts the music to dizzying heights.

Monocle’s Outer Sunset will be released through Hidden Shoal Recordings in late November, 2007.

Hidden Shoal Recordings is an Australian-based independent digital music label. The label is a unique marriage of contemporary distribution, marketing and publicity with traditional indie label values and, most importantly, a wonderful catalogue of releases.

Hidden Shoal Recordings current catalogue includes releases that slip between the edges of experimental ambient work, shoegazing pop, post-rock and indie rock. The label has earned a reputation for releasing exciting and engaging new independent music that is not bound by genre or style.


Label Site: http://music.hiddenshoal.com
HSR Store: http://agora.hiddenshoal.com