May 26, 2023 sees THE MON, the solo project of Ufomammut’s Urlo, its second album, Eye, through Supernatural Cat Records. Following a recent premiere of the album’s second single, “Confession”, with Neurosis’ Steve Von Till, now, THE MON has shared a brand new track, "To The Ones", featuring guest appearances by Colin H. Van Eeckhout of Amenra and Sarah Pendleton (Subrosa, The Otolith)!
"I know Colin since many years. I have always appreciated his approach to art and I consider him a wonderful person, a complete artist and yet down to earth." Urlo comments.
"I'm so happy that he's a part of my record, once again, after he sang and wrote the lyrics for one of the two versions of the song in the EP "My Rotten Heart/Into Nothing". When I first heard the new version of “To The Ones” with its vocal track and lyrics, I was thrilled, because the song had become something else, a little gem.
And when Sarah Pendleton, who I've always admired for her fiddle textures from Subrosa onwards, sent me her part for this tune, I felt really lucky. The overall atmosphere of the song completely changed, the violin has created a fundamental texture. Colin and Sarah have given me a great gift with their talent. And I think they will also give it to everyone who will listen to "To The Ones"."
Just premiered with Visions Magazine, the video clip for "To The Ones" is now streaming here
THE MON (with CHVE and SARAH PENDLETON) - TO THE ONES (Official Video) - YouTube
"I met Urlo in the summer of 2011, I will never forget it. Both our bands had just embarked on a tour with Neurosis, right after we all got signed to Neurot records. There was never a sense of competition, immediately a sense of camaraderie was installed. and it stayed that way throughout years. Every year we popped into each other at festivals worldwide. Always a heartfelt revisiting of our friendship. We knew where we came from, and were grateful for where we stood then." The Amenra vocalist reveals.
"When Urlo asked me to be a guest on his next The Mon album, I felt that mutual friendship, that mutual respect. It is a true honor for me to be a part of his next artistic endeavor and weave a little of myself into that album. The crown on our friendship."
Sarah Pendleton adds: "I had been an avid fan of Urlo's work in UFOmammut for years, and had been fortunate enough to get to know him personally through performing shows together. So when he asked me to contribute to The Mon album, I was honored and giddy, like a kid. I loved getting to see this other musical side to him, and I felt an immediate connection to the songs. Writing violin parts for these songs was a bit like wandering through a faerie tale or an alien landscape. I can't wait for listeners to wander through it with us."
By comparison to its predecessor, Doppelleben, THE MON’s Eye LP is more introspective and denser, the new record built around electronic soundscapes and acoustic atmospheres that take you on a sonic journey where the songs flow nonstop into one another. While Urlo performs the entire musical foundation of the album, he is joined by a cast of special guests, with vocal/lyrical contributions from Steve Von Till (Neurosis), Colin H. Van Eeckhout (Amenra), and Francesca De Franceschi Manzoni, as well as violins from Sarah Pendleton (Subrosa, The Otolith), and guitars from David W (White Hills).
Eye was written, performed, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Urlo at The Howl, Italy, and the artwork completed by the Malleus Rock Art Lab collective. While choosing a singular genre for THE MON’s Eye is surely a difficult challenge, one could classify the album as heavy dark folk electronic.
Supernatural Cat will release Eye on limited 12” Blue and Red vinyl variants, digipak CD, and all digital services on May 26th. Find preorders now at the label webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE!