Monograms - "Only A Ceiling Can Stay Inside Forever"
Monograms put out a killer record in 2019 and they’re looking to one-up themselves in 2020. Today, the band shared the follow up to Living Wire - another sampling of refined 80s synth-pop and goth influenced post-punk called Only A Ceiling Can Stay Inside Forever. The songs on the record were written and recorded by frontman and principal songwriter Ian Jacobs during quarantine and each reflects the turbulence and uncertainty of the current situation. Like on Living Wire, Jacobs once again sets a dark mood on Only A Ceiling Can Stay Inside Forever with driving industrial beats that are reminiscent of New Order and Depeche Mode, aggressive angular riffs, and reverberating synths.
In elaborating on the writing and recording process behind the record, Jacobs described how the surreal events of 2020 got his creative juices flowing:
Crazy days we're in. As the world kept turning more and more upside down this spring, between the pandemic, all the social injustices, and everything being shut down, I started to feel like I was living in one of those dystopian futures I've seen in movies. It's pretty surreal... cause it's not fiction, it's right now. I think I just started recording and writing songs for an outlet, or maybe just out of boredom to find a way to turn some of this alienation, strangeness and extra down-time into something that I wouldn't feel all fucked up about. I think a lot of people are feeling that same way, and I hope the context of the album and the songs can connect in some small way, to at least feel like we're not alone and we're all in this crazy situation together, feeling the same crazy things. Each of the 14 songs, and the name of the album, references something specific I was absorbing during those 3+ months of isolation.... and pretty much still am.
Photo by Michelle Lobianco
Only A Ceiling Can Say Inside Forever is out now via Paper Cup Music. Stream it below. You can also purchase the album via Bandcamp. Monograms is Monograms is donating 50% of all sales to Know Your Rights Camp and Paper Cup Music will be matching every donation.
Keep up with Monograms by following them on Instagram and liking them on Facebook.
