Mondaze "Linger" [Blue Vinuyl]

A message on the wall reads, “We don’t want to return to normal because normal was the problem.”

A daily routine of unnatural alarms, alienating commutes, an ever-more relentless work pace, and artificially induced desires pushing us to consume things we don’t need. Monotonous meals, harmful food, and a self-imposed numbness as we sit in front of streaming platforms, losing sleep until the last possible moment. Then the alarm rings again, and the cycle repeats, with even more exhaustion and less focus.

This is exactly what Mondaze touches on in their latest album, Linger (Bronson Recordings), a follow-up to their 2021 debut Late Bloom.

The album delves deep into themes of memory and loss, resistance and rebirth. It presents a dualism, balancing the delicate beauty of ethereal melodies with the intense power of a wall of sound.

Since forming in 2018, Italy-based Mondaze have defined themselves as "heavy shoegaze", taking inspiration from bands like genre-giants Swervedriver and Ride, but also contemporary bands pushing through the limits of the genre like Nothing and Ringo Deathstarr. With Linger, they aim to amplify the melancholy tones of their frustration and rage. These sonic characteristics drove them to work with Chris Fullard (Idles and Boris) on mixing, and Maurizio Baggio (The Soft Moon, Boy Harsher) for mastering. The result is an album with roots, yet distinctly modern featuring arrangements that skillfully blend contemporary styles with dreamy and eerie atmospheres.