Despite pandemic madness, we decided to go ahead and release something digitally, for you to chill and groove to in quarantine. Out today, hailing from Glasgow: MONICA- ‘Celebration’: stream the album here.
in The Scotsman newspaper! ‘Their debut album ‘Celebration’ has been out digitally for a couple of months, and is well worth seeking out for its lean soul pop chops, mellow folk-tinged reveries and the sultry influence of The Blue Nile in its laidback warmth.’MONICA are a multi-generational band of musicians and artists based in Glasgow who have been making music together in various forms and guises for over a decade.
The band, made up of Andrea Marini, Lloyd Herriott, Ariane Jackson, Simon Shaw, and Ian Stoddart, all hail from different musical backgrounds and bring different musicality to the combined sound making MONICA.
Originally forming around the solo material of Marini, they subsequently moved away from the folk-based sound of his 2004 debut, drawing from a much broader pool of references, creating a sound of ranging influences from across the musical spectrum; Curtis Mayfield, The Blue Nile and The Durutti Column are amongst their many touchstones as well as dub, minimalism and kosmische musik.
Their debut album, Celebration, has been in the making for a while and has arrived through experimenting with songwriting and groove-based improvisation, drawing on their established experience of playing together. This is evident from their synthesised sound that clearly draws from a complex range of musical influences.
The album was recorded in Glasgow & Inveraray by Geoff Allan, Matthew Burrows & the band. Artwork by Ariane Jackson-Marini.
