$40.00
Introducing: Rites of Spring, a 7-track synthwave/hyperpop 12” by Monomate.
On the previous two Monomate releases, the goal was to sound as polished as possible, or as dirty as possible, but in a sterile, fully-digital environment.
On Rites of Spring, the intent couldn’t be more different: DIY or die!
Everything you see on the dual gatefold album art was drawn by hand (wood scrapers on rainbow scratch paper/b&w scratch paper), and everything you hear is fifteen different vintage synthesizers and hardware effects from the 70s-90s, with all of their quirks, dust, and patina intact, and emphasized for style.
So, if the music is real, how do we know if the lyrical content is real, too?
To paraphrase the late Glenn Branca: by putting some blood in the music. This album is about more than your classic boy-meets-girl tropes, and the woes of lost loves: it’s about relationships, and how they can evolve in meaning from your 20s to your 30s, as you experience more of life with age and time.
But what does that sound like?
Indie electronic dance hits (TR/ST, Boy Harsher) meet 80s kitsch (Pet Shop Boys), led by the vocoder of Black Moth Super Rainbow/Tobacco.
Mixed and mastered by Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher), the past lives of these old machines can be heard, loud and clear.
At long last, the Rites of Spring are finally here: exclusively, on HYPE PRETENSION.
Limited edition of 100. Pigment Swirl - White (in Light Black) via Gotta Groove Records. Free download code is included.