Alt rockers Monday’s Child have been a fixture of the live scene for a while now and their new EP, Modern Affair, captures the energy and intensity across its four tracks.
The first song on the EP is, ‘Problem Girl’. This song begins with Lauren McKay’s slightly distorted guitar playing over the top of Caitlin Lenfestey’s drum rhythm that dynamically builds to a climax of the entry of the vocalist, Jen McKay. Jen’s vocals are purely unprecedented and scream alternative rock to the very core. Monday’s Child’s smart use of a Low-pass filter or EQ dip in the production allowed for a part of their song to suddenly sound as if to be distantly muffled, adding to the overall concept, lyrically, of “Problem Girl” and, therefore, making it resonant with their listeners.
The second song on their EP, ‘Love, You’ll Figure It Out’, began with a solo acoustic guitar. The start of this song had a feel of Big Thief in influence and contrasted beautifully to the rest of the EP, immediately catching my attention. The addition of a lead electric guitar melody over the acoustic guitar was really distinct in nature and connected successfully with the intentions of the track. The light drum rhythm, alongside the under-toned entry of Clara McKay’s bass, really helped the build into the passionate chorus, which had an extreme feel of authenticity and meaning behind it. This made, “Love You’ll Figure It Out”, connective and impactful for me as a listener.
‘In My Own Time’, was slightly more upbeat in tempo than the first two tunes. The lead guitar often imitated the melody and Jen’s vocal slides were strikingly smooth and enjoyable to the ear. The slight drop in instrumentation allowed for moments to take a breath and allow for the listeners hair to stand on end. There is a slight overlay of laughter, in particular sections of the song, and this adds to their alternativeness, as well as successfully making this song unique.
The overlays of Jen talking, between each second line of the verse, made the final song ‘Modern Affair’ introspective in sound. The guitar solo extends upwards before cutting, unexpectedly, to just the prominent and intricate drum rhythm with guitar and bass undertones. These were played over slightly muffled speaking lines that created a compelling ambiance for me as a listener. This song has a real feel of alternative rock mixed with Dazey and the Scouts and in regards to sound, this song is fueled by crunchy yet velvety instrumentation along with polished and effortless vocals.
Monday’s Child’s striking and unparalleled original sound successfully made their new EP, “Modern Affair”, a fresh and cutting-edge listen with brand-new and seamless instrumentation and lyrics that anybody who enjoys alternative rock should listen to.
