Releases: Baby / Bend or Break / Your Underground / No Return / Fake Virtue / Human Error
MONOKINO
"BEND OR BREAK"
"BEND OR BREAK (LOCKDOWN VERSION)"
"There is an undercurrent that you’re at some sort of trippy house party or have perhaps overindulged in a way you wouldn’t wish to repeat. The “in the round” vocals add to the helter skelter vibe and cut across the guitar which comes in and out like a bad influence pulling at your arm. The inspiration for the effort is laudable and fully sympathetic to anyone who’s had to sit through a lock down with an overabundance of social media and current affairs." - Faultline
"Sonically Bend or Break is a tour de force in terms of production wizardry. Stacked vocals and samples are blended effortlessly over spirited, rockin’ beats. The guitar pyrotechnics moreover go to hammer home the point that Monokino is out to prove himself, and he is willing to take as many styles as possible and make them work within a three-minute single context. The words to Monokino’s Bend or Break may capture the state of the world accurately and in detail. Still, the hodgepodge mentality of taking numerous jigsaw puzzles and somehow making them combine together in an entirely new shape also shows that the artist has his finger on the pulse of modern composition." Alt77
In the UK Janice Long has been spinning the track on BBC radio and NCB, the 'trust the doc show' on exilefm and many more played the track as well. In The Netherlands Kinkfm and Pinguin Radio premiered the song. It's been added to favorite tunes lists and lots of placements in playlists. The video was premiered on the Happy People music blog and they said: "Amorphous and mercurial, its snaking rhythms wind around low-slung latino hooks that refuse to be pinned-down. Atonal chords stretch into wiry solos that burn bright, then disconnect."
"Bend Or Break est un mélange de mélodies obsédantes et une esthétique quirappelle les années 80, la New Wave et un peu Lynch." Direct Actu
There's an interview with the Fountain from Scotland that also talks about the shows Monokino organizes in Amsterdam and Indie Criollo from Ecuador wrote this.
“Bend Or Break” details the story of how people can become consumed by misinformation and the range of methods news is provided, and ultimately how this can create a warped outlook” Postcards from the underground
There's an interview with the Fountain from Scotland that also talks about the shows Monokino organizes in Amsterdam and Indie Criollo from Ecuador wrote this.
“Bend Or Break” details the story of how people can become consumed by misinformation and the range of methods news is provided, and ultimately how this can create a warped outlook” Postcards from the underground
"We were paused in our listening tracks when we put on this inventive little number. A bit like when Siouxie and the Banshees started writing radio hits - all we can say is listen to it and prepare to dig it.” Postcard Elba
Music on the Moon wrote: "Love the lead vocal performance, love the sound of the overdrive guitars behind those vocals with that live thumping kit sound."
"Witty guitars, a smart production and strong choruses in which Monokino seems to be singing a canon with himself." - Pinguin Radio
See lockdown/curfew version for music blog 'Backseat Mafia' here : "We were struck by the brilliant ‘Bend or Break‘ he brought out this month. "