SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MONOWHALES – WHO’S THERE TO HEAR ME OUT?

MONOWHALES
WHO’S THERE TO HEAR ME OUT?
INDEPENDENT

After a massive 2023 which saw the band releasing singles while touring across North America – including festival appearances at Ottawa Blues Fest, Sound Of Music Fest, and SOMMO Fest – Toronto’s very own Monowhales have released their newest EP. Who’s There To Hear Me Out? follows 2022’s full-length album, Tunnel Vision and is their fourth major release.

The EP opens with the lead single, “Hear Me Out”, a melancholic, alternative rock slow burner that is elevated by a rich arrangement that organically grows towards a massive chorus. The song marks a step forward for the band from the perspectives of not only songwriting and performance, but production as well. “Hear Me Out” is densely packed yet feels light on its feet, so much so that you can appreciate each rhythmic and melodic variation in the vocals and the instrumentation. The second single, “Backbone”, follows with a greater sense of weight behind its slower sway. Sally Shaar’s vocals are melodic and powerful and play a strong counterpoint to abrasive synths and wild guitars. Without a doubt, this very well could be the strongest song to come from Monowhales yet.

The remaining half of Who’s There To Hear Me Out? includes a pair of unreleased songs. The first is “Flatbread” a track driven by a floaty, offbeat groove that feels, at moments, incredibly loose, despite the band locking together tightly. “Flatbread” makes for an alternative experiment in creativity that makes the EP better for its inclusion. “Backbone – Cinematic Version” brings the EP to a close with an arrangement that lives up to its name. The song features an extended bridge section, an ambient soundscape that erupts violently into a climactic and eclectically intense guitar solo, ultimately bringing Who’s There To Hear Me Out? to a stellar close.

With each and every release, Monowhales continue to scale to new and impressive heights. Who’s There To Hear Me Out? is not exception; rather, the short-lived, four-track EP sees the band leap forward exponentially. The record is super alternative, a bit grittier than you’d expect as they flex a meaner, leaner side along with a darker tone, all the while being catchy as all hell and absolutely badass in their delivery. Monowhales are raising the bar for alternative rock with Who’s There To Hear Me Out?.

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