‘…You cannot help but feel that you are listening to the second-coming of a legendary post-hardcore that burned bright but fast in 2005. The performances are intricate yet ferocious…’
Rising from the ashes of Liverpool cult favourites One More Day, Monroe. have already found themselves to be positioned as real rising stars of the Merseyside alternative space. After working hard at perfecting their live shows, the band would finally release their electrifying debut single, ‘Strip Your Teeth.’ in July of last year, and would go on to follow it up with the even better ‘Just Because You Shot Jesse James, Doesn’t Make You Jesse James.’ in November. Now, the band have finally put these pieces together on their debut EP, ‘To Dwell on Dreams and Live in Memories.’, and the result cements them as being a need-to-know outfit not just within Merseyside, but post-hardcore in general.
Raw, scrappy, and unpolished in all of the very best ways, Monroe.’s debut EP takes you back to the glory days of early 00’s post-hardcore and emo; punchy riffs and danceable rhythms collide with soaring and cinematic melodies, lending the whole affair a delightfully over-dramatic yet earnest feel. There is a surprisingly careful approach to balancing intricate musicianship and pure aggression, leading to an EP that has fantastic momentum, cohesion, and variety; the light and dark both land with equal impact.
‘So Long, Boulder City.’ alternates between surging verses and bombastic choruses, grabbing the listener by the throat and dragging them along for one hell of a ride.Izabel Lavin (rozemary, demeanour) makes a phenomenal guest appearance, with her distinctive, frenzied screams working perfectly with the 00’s rawness of Monroe.’s post-hardcore sound. The flow into the follow-up, ‘Just Because You Shot Jessie James, Doesn’t Make You Jessie James.’ is simply begging to be played live, as the band lay down simply searing riffs and a visceral vocal performance. Guttural growls are situated next to genuinely captivating melodies, draped over an instrumental that builds towards a genuinely cinematic climax, decorated with soaring guitar work. It’s a brilliantly, shockingly grandiose performance from these newcomers.
The EP is rounded off by the one-two punch of ‘On Dreams, In Memories.’ and ‘Drawing You From Memory.’, showcasing a far more heartfelt and emotive side to the band. Folksy acoustics give way to unveil a driving, cinematic closing number, showcasing the band’s understanding of how to utilise their instruments to create an expansive, shimmering experience; the drums dropping out and rejoining at various moments is a fantastic choice that permits the track to breathe, before plunging headlong into the unknown. The bridge glitters with melancholy, spiralling downwards towards a shiver-inducing, instrumental climax that simply begs to be heard blasted live in a sweaty basement emo venue. Certainly, one can only imagine what Monroe. could be capable of across the span of a full-length record, given their clear understanding of how to create a compelling sonic narrative and sense of flow.
Some bands simply posses an aura that you cannot help but feel utterly compelled by; Monroe. have it by the gallon. You cannot help but feel that you are listening to the second-coming of a legendary post-hardcore that burned bright but fast in 2005. The performances are intricate yet ferocious, balancing perfectly the rawness that makes the genre speak to your soul with genuinely fantastic musicianship. I suspect that Monroe. care little about being the next big thing in the alternative scene; they carry themselves with the energy of a band that performs simply out of some deep seated necessity to create art for the sake of creation. Yet they may just find their name in lights regardless.
RATING: 82/100
For Fans Of: Static Dress, Coheed & Cambria, I Promised The World, My Chemical Romance, The Throwaway Scene
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