Japanese Experimental Post-Rockers MONO published the official video for the title-track from their upcoming new album “Oath” due out on June 14, 2024 via Pelagic Records, Temporary Residence and New Noise. Watch the video through the YouTube player below:
“What are we doing here?”
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 splendor. 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 catalog 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 “Oath,” an album that offers benevolent reflection rather than fleeting respite.
“We live with a vow that hasn’t changed since we were children. Hear the wind sing. We are part of the universe. We already know what we should do and what the most important thing in life is.” – Takaakira ‘Taka’ Goto, MONO
The bans states on facebook: “The theme, this time is “time and life”. We wanted to express the “limited time in life” and the “meaning of life”. Our time goes by day by day. What is my goal? What is my purpose? What is the reason I live every day? What can we do? What should we do? We wanted to learn what we were feeling about time and life, what we have lost and found, and the questions and the answers we discovered during both our good and difficult times. We live with a vow that hasn’t changed since we were children.
The teaser of the album is available now alongside pre-orders on LP, CD and Digital. The first single is scheduled to be released next week on April 17.“
Pre-Order: https://monoofjapan.fanlink.tv/oath
Full Info: https://www.monoofjapan.com
Tracklist:
01. Us, Then
02. Oath
03. Then, Us
04. Run On
05. Reflection
06. Hear the Wind Sing
07. Hourglass
08. Moonlight Drawing
09. Holy Winter
10. We All Shine On
11. Time Goes By
