Description
Veteran Japan-based instrumental (post-)rock band MONO return with “Oath”, their 12th full-length album of
genre-defying contemporary classical orchestration and transcendental indie guitar soundscapes in a career that
has spanned four decades. The year 2020 turned what was once quintessential late-night stoner existentialism
into a daily mantra for nearly everyone on this planet. What are we doing with our limited time in this life? What
is our purpose? What should we be doing? For the past 25 years, MONO have explored themes such as the
relationship between darkness and light, hope in the face of disaster and the duality of birth and death.
On their 12th full-length album, “Oath”, they ponder the time that makes up life, and how to make the most of
that time.
Recorded and mixed with longtime friend and collaborator, Steve Albini, “Oath” opens like a sunrise with a slowly
ascending orchestra and brass section, the full band taking its time to revel in the atmosphere before joining in
the splendour. Throughout the album’s 71-minute runtime, MONO meditates on that theme of time and life in
myriad ways. The unhurried evolution of a song that is a hallmark of MONO’s catalogue is infused with an air of
elegance that elevates “Oath” to new heights. MONO challenged themselves with a universally relatable
existential examination, and answered with an album that offers benevolent reflection rather than fleeting
respite.
